Power Rangers: Oceania
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: The Hawaiian Islands have been threatened after an ancient Polynesian evil has washed ashore. Now it falls to a new modern group of unlikely heroes to protect the islands and keep their tropical paradise safe from harm.
1. Ke Kinohi: The Beginning

**Hi everyone! Perf here with an early Christmas present and the start of another new series. Hopefully hanging out with some new Rangers in the sun and surf will help keep us warm during these cold winter months. Thank you again to all who submitted OC's and especially those whose characters were chosen for the main cast: Condor-K, fantasticrhapsody, Misty Charming, and ImaSupernaturalCSI.**

 **I do not own Power Rangers, but I still hope you'll enjoy the story.**

* * *

The remnants of a blood red sunset hung over the horizon as Hine Nui slowly made her way upon the sandy shore of the deserted island. The sounds of the surf continued to pound around her as the ancient being made her way from the darkening waters to the shadows of the tree line. Long black strands of slimy seaweed trailed behind her like the train of some kind of macabre dress. How long had it been since the old shaman imprisoned her in that vessel and threw her out into the tide, to be forgotten by time?

It didn't matter anymore. It had taken countless years, but she had finally broken free and returned on the tides. It would only be a matter of time now before she would be able to start recovering her strength and taking vengeance on the people who now inhabited the islands of Hawaii. In the fading light, she was able to spy the glittering lights of the city of Honolulu across the waters in the far distance. Hine Nui gave a sadistic smile and decided that her new reign of terror should begin where she had originally started… on the island of Oahu.

* * *

Cameron Monroe squinted his eyes in the bright sunlight as he stepped out of the rental car and straightened his short sleeve khaki service uniform. As the handsome young Navy officer made his way up the front walkway of the large mansion in front of him, he couldn't help but notice the colorful flowers and the dense but well maintained flora on the lawn. A faint hint of the flowers' sweet fragrance wafted through the warm balmy air and tickled his nose while he arrived at the doorway.

For a moment, Cameron couldn't help but sigh. It had barely been 48 hours since he had arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii and as much as he wanted to enjoy the scenery and tropical paradise around him, he had "important" work to do.

He removed his cap from his short brown hair and tucked a dark blue binder full of paperwork under his arm before ringing the doorbell.

Cameron stood at crisp attention for several long moments before ringing the doorbell again. Still there was no answer. Cameron checked his wristwatch with a frown. Mr. Sato said he would be at home and expecting to meet him at 1 PM. It was now 1 on the dot.

"Can I help you?" came a female's voice from behind. Cameron turned to see a beautiful young woman of about 23.

She was probably no more than a year or two younger than him. She was a tan skinned girl with a very athletic build and long dark brown hair. She wore short khaki shorts over what looked to be a yellow swimsuit with a lifeguard insignia. In her hair was a small yellow hibiscus. While she looked to have the dark features of a local Hawaiian, it was possible she might have been part Asian as well.

"Ah… yes," he said in momentary surprise, "I'm here for a meeting with the businessman Mr. Koichiro Sato. Do you know him?"

"He's my Dad," the young woman said looking him up and down for a moment. Whether she was just amused or being a little flirtatious, it was hard to tell, "And you are?"

"Lieutenant Cameron Monroe, United States Navy," he answered crisply as if by reflex.

"Naomi Sato. Pleased to meet you Lieutenant," the girl smiled as she shook his hand, "If you're looking for my Dad, he's probably out back in the gardens. He likes to spend a lot of time there."

She gestured for him to follow her toward the side of the house and she opened a small fence leading towards a lush garden. "I was actually just dropping by after work to check in on him too," Naomi said idly as they walked together, "I'm guessing you're here about my Dad's monster stories?"

"You know about that?" Cameron asked curiously pushing aside some low hanging ferns.

Naomi shrugged, "Well, yeah. He's got to tell somebody since no one else really believes him. What about you Mr. Monroe? Do you believe in monsters?"

"It doesn't really matter what I believe," Cameron said carefully, "The Office of Naval Intelligence seems to think there might be a threat, so that's why I'm here… to investigate, whatever it may be."

Naomi turned and gave him a curious glance, "You really don't believe there's anything unusual going on in this island... do you? Certainly the military knows all about the Power Rangers and monsters they've fought on the mainland, right?"

Cameron shrugged while Naomi stopped and turned to face him, "Lieutenant, my Dad isn't crazy. I mean, I have a hard time believing something like that too, plus the local people here can be pretty superstitious about some really silly things… but I don't think he'd lie about something like this either… and that bothers me."

Cameron fixed Naomi with his blue eyes and gave her a steady look while trying to put on a reassuring expression, "Well Miss Sato, I promise you I'm not going to be jumping to any conclusions about monsters, talking tiki heads, or Power Rangers just yet. I'm just here to talk to him."

Naomi chewed her lip for a long moment in thought before giving a small nod and gesturing toward a nearby patio where an older middle aged Japanese man sat lounging in a chair, "Sure… right this way Lieutenant."

* * *

After greetings were made, Cameron joined Mr. Sato and his daughter Naomi on the back porch of the mansion. As they sat at the porch table with some glasses of lemonade, Mr. Sato recounted his story while Cameron patiently took notes in his binder.

"All right Mr. Sato," Cameron said patiently looking over his notes again, "Let me see if I have this right. Your real estate development firm was doing work on some new beach houses near the coast."

The short older man with graying hair nodded while Cameron continued, "The construction workers claimed they saw some sort of supernatural being… a talking tiki head with glowing eyes?"

"That's right Lieutenant," Sato answered, "He goes by the name of Kanohi. I didn't believe it at first either, but then I went to confront him myself and I saw that he's real."

The young Navy officer raised a skeptical eyebrow before glancing over toward Naomi who looked a little uncomfortable too. "And you say that this Kanohi thing warned you that the island would soon be in danger?"

"And that he wanted my help in finding some candidates willing to help guard against the coming threat."

Cam tapped his pen gently on the table, "And what can you tell me about this… threat?"

Sato furrowed his brow, "Well, from what I understand, Kanohi said it was some sort of evil sorceress… or ancient demi-goddess. I can't remember exactly."

Cameron stared at the businessman wondering if maybe so many high pressure real estate deals or the heat of the Hawaiian sun just caused the old man to lose his mind. He folded his binder nonchalantly, "This cave with the talking tiki head… may I go see it?"

"Are you really serious?" Naomi cut in from across the table in surprise, "You actually believe my father about this?"

"I didn't say I believe him," Cameron corrected her patiently, "But if there's a credible threat to the country here, then I have to look into it, no matter how crazy it sounds."

Naomi turned to her father with a pleading look, "Come on Dad. Are you really being serious about all this here? I mean… for God's sake, we've got the military involved now."

Sato frowned toward his daughter in rebuke, "I am. And you're in no position to lecture me about being serious Naomi. Not with the way you live your life."

Cameron stayed quiet for a long moment watching the father and daughter angrily stare each other down. Finally, he cleared his throat to interrupt any further awkwardness, "Mr. Sato, my commanding officer Captain Ramos told me that he was having me look into this as a personal favor to you because you're old friends. You're really sure the local police are not willing to take care of this instead?"

Sato gave an apologetic smile and rose, "Yes Lieutenant. I'm sorry that you've been dragged into this and I understand your doubts. But please, just give me a chance and let me show you."

"I'm under orders sir. It's not like I have much choice anyway," Cam quipped rising from his seat and following the businessman.

"Wait! I'm coming too!" Naomi called catching Cam's arm. "Please? If this is worrying my father this much, then the least I can do is try to help."

Cam glanced over toward Sato who simply shrugged. Turning toward Naomi he held out his hand reluctantly, "All right. Let's get going then. My car is just out front."

* * *

Meanwhile, Desmond Waihee tightened the rigging and sails of his small fishing boat as it made its way through the clear blue ocean waters. Off his port side, the young fisherman could see the island of Oahu in the near distance and admired the last of the island's western edge that he was returning from. It was a bright warm day, in fact a perfect day for sailing. The fishing had also been good and Desmond smiled, thinking about how much money he'd make off his next haul back in Honolulu.

As he stood at the front of the boat and enjoyed the sea breeze in his long dark hair, he scanned the horizon on his starboard side and paused as his eyes fixed on a strange thick fog bank in the distance. For a moment, he couldn't tell if his eyes were playing tricks on him, or if there were some unusually low cloud formations. Giving a frown, he began to reach for a pair of small binoculars in the boat before he felt a sudden violent impact with something in the water.

Desmond cried out in surprise and toppled over backward as the small boat lurched sideways for a terrifying moment. As the boat steadied itself, Desmond looked over the side and watched in shock as he spied a fast moving object in the water headed toward the island. It was hard to tell what exactly the thing was, but he saw that it left a small wake in the waters as it sped off.

Glancing back over the side, the fisherman saw some small cracks and splinters running up the side of the hull from the impact. The damage wasn't terrible and he wasn't taking on much water, but it was enough that he had to worry. He could try to limp back to Honolulu but that would be pushing his luck and he risked the damage to the boat getting much worse. Taking one last glance back toward, the island, Desmond decided to turn the sail and try to land the boat as soon as he could so that he could get help later on. He only hoped his little boat and his haul of fish would be able to survive in the mean time.

* * *

A few hours later, the small fishing boat landed safely aground off the beach and Desmond hopped off the side, dropping an anchor in the shallow surf. Giving a sigh, he looked at his poor little boat and made his way from the water and up the empty sandy beach to try and find some help. After passing a thick patch of ferns and climbing a low embankment of small trees, Desmond spied a paved road that unfortunately didn't look very busy.

That was until he spotted a small blue car come from the other side of the road and pull up nearby into a cleared out area off the coastal bluff. The area almost looked like it was being cleared out for some new building project, perhaps some kind of future resort or hotel? Pushing aside some more bushes, Desmond made his way toward the clearing and saw three people get out of the car and begin walking up a short rocky path into what looked like the ruins of an old stone temple. They were a strange group, an older well dressed man, a young woman wearing yellow, and a young man in a military uniform.

Whoever they were, Desmond needed their help if he was going to get a lift back to the city and save his damaged boat. Hurrying over, the fisherman followed the three into the grounds of the temple ruins, now overgrown with vegetation and rounded a corner. Just up ahead, Desmond spotted the three people stop in front of a large stone pedestal where a large wooden tiki head sat. The face was finely carved and set in a neutral expression, while the reflections of the sunlight showed that some form of ancient tribal writing had also been used to decorate the large totem. At the far corner of the ruins looked to be some sort of well or pond full of spring water.

"Kanohi! I'm back!" Mr. Sato called out toward the tiki. Everyone fell silent and curiously watched… except nothing happened. Cameron and Naomi exchanged a confused look before the eyes and mouth of the tiki head lit up with bright flames. Both young people jumped back with a start as the strange entity sat, continuing to regard them with its expressionless face. From his hiding place along the ruins of a wall, Desmond stared in wonder at the ancient supernatural being. The crackling fires that lit up Kanohi's eyes and mouth seemed to give off a gentle reassuring light, yrt it was still bright and powerful enough to suggest great and terrifying force underneath.

"Welcome back Koichiro. You bring guests," the tiki said in a booming voice.

"What... is that thing?" Naomi asked fearfully gripping Cameron's arm.

"I don't know," he replied quietly keeping his eyes locked on the totem, "But that is one freaky tiki."

"I am Kanohi, the chief Kahuna and a steward to the island's Kekoa."

Cameron blinked in confusion until Naomi translated for him, "He is a chief priest and a leader among the warriors of this island."

Mr. Sato stepped forward, "Kanohi, this is my daughter Naomi. And this is Lt. Cameron Monroe, a military man."

"And what of the third one behind you?" Kanohi asked in his deep voice.

Desmond froze in fear as the others turned around in surprise to see the young fisherman in a red floral print shirt hiding in the corner of the ruins.

"Uh... hi. I'm Desmond... Waihee," he said stepping forward hesitantly. "Um... I was just looking for some help. My fishing boat ran aground nearby and I saw you folks come this way and stop here… wherever here is."

"Welcome to Ocean Point Temple young ones," Kanohi replied, "This has long been a sacred place for the ancient people of this island and it has been my duty to make sure it remains that way."

Cameron stepped forward slowly, "Um, about that Mr. Kanohi… sir. Mr. Sato told me you were some sort of guardian spirit, warning of a threat to Hawaii."

"Yes," Kanohi replied gravely, "A great evil by the name of Hine Nui has returned. In ages past, Hine Nui was a powerful sorceress who came from across the seas with her armies of terrible monsters, bent on bringing death and decay to the people of these islands. There were many who believed her to be the goddess of death and darkness incarnate."

"That's strange," Desmond said with a puzzled frown, "I don't ever remember learning any legend like that growing up here. What happened?"

The fires within the tiki head became more somber and sustained as Kanohi continued, "One by one, the chieftains and warriors of the other islands fell until my people were the only ones left to be conquered. I gathered the bravest and strongest of our tribe's warriors together and blessed them with one last ritual… one that allowed them to drive off Hine Nui."

"Well, couldn't you just do the ritual again?" Naomi asked curiously.

Kanohi fell silent for a moment before speaking again, "I cannot. I had sacrificed my body and my own mana, or spiritual energy to empower our tribe's heroes with the island's natural forces of Creation. That is why I require new warriors who are strong of heart and body to answer the call of my people again. That is why you are here."

Desmond frowned in deep thought at the situation before him. Never in his life did he imagine he would ever encounter such a wondrous being or a terrifying situation. Kanohi had been an ancestor of his people and part of this island. If the spirit of the ancient priest were true and his mission noble, then Desmond knew what had to be done.

"Then I accept the duty," he said stepping forward to the others' surprise. "This island is my home and I won't turn away if my own people are in danger."

Turning to Cameron, Desmond gave an expectant look, but the officer grimaced, "Whoah, hang on a minute. This is not my island and my first duty is still to the military. I can't just drop everything and commit to some ancient tribal conflict that I don't even understand... much less have anything to do with."

"That's not true Lieutenant," Naomi said imploringly, "This island, and all of Hawaii is a part of the United States now. If it's in danger, isn't it the Navy's job to help protect this land too?"

She was right. He had sworn a personal oath to defend his country and it was a duty he took very seriously. While he didn't understand the first thing about these local legends and people, he still didn't want innocent lives to get hurt by an enemy, supernatural or not. He only wondered how he was going to explain this back in Pearl Harbor.

"All right," he finally said with a reluctant nod before tuning to the tiki head, "I'll help."

"So will I," Naomi added stepping forward to address Kanohi.

"No! I won't let my only child get caught up in something like this!" Mr. Sato cried in outrage, "Naomi what are you doing?"

She turned back toward her father with a defiant look, "Doing what I think is right Dad. If people are in danger, then I can't just let these two brave men do it alone."

Sato's features tightened further as his daughter said, "Besides, you already disapprove of the way I live my life. I would have thought doing something like this would make you proud."

"Very well," Kanohi said as Naomi joined Desmond and Cameron, "If that is your decision, then I will grant you the powers of the original koa warriors."

The three stood together as the fires within Kanohi intensified and three golden motes of shimmering light erupted from his mouth fixing themselves to the wrists of the young people.

When the light faded, the three saw they each wore a beautiful metallic bracelet crafted with an ancient tribal motif. At the center of the bracelets were three colored gemstones made of coral: red, blue, and yellow respectively.

"What are these?" Naomi asked wonder while admiring the new piece of jewelry on her wrist.

"These bracelets are the legacy of the five great koa warriors," Kanohi explained, "They should allow you to become one with the island and tap into the primal forces of Creation in order to fight against Hine Nui."

"So… it almost sounds as if we've become like some team of Power Rangers now," Cam asked incredulously as he examined his blue colored bracelet.

"Cool!" Desmond grinned in enthusiasm while eyeing his red bracelet, "Red Rangers are always the most awesome anyway."

Cam gently rolled his eyes before Mr. Sato cleared his throat, "Kanohi, how will we know when this sorceress Hine Nui will come, and how will these three know what to do?"

"If these three young ones are indeed worthy and true of heart, then they will know what to do when the time comes," the tiki replied before the lights within its eyes and mouth extinguished themselves. The four stood and watched as the tiki became inert and the temple ruins fell silent again.

"Well… that was surreal," Cam muttered while Naomi pumped her fist and gave an excited smile.

"I know what you mean. Can you imagine us being Power Rangers? No one's ever seen them out here in the islands before."

"We don't know that! No one said you were Power Rangers," Mr. Sato interjected in annoyance, "This is not happening!"

"Well Rangers or not, something happened here and we've just been tasked as guardians of this island now," Desmond said, "If that's the case, then it's probably best that the three of us at least be on a first name basis."

"Good idea Desmond," the lifeguard smiled extending a friendly hand, "Naomi."

"Cameron," the officer added shaking hands with the fisherman.

After introductions were made, Mr. Sato gave a concerned frown and turned to Cameron, "Lt. Monroe, I assume you'll be putting all this in your official report when you get back to the base?"

Cam remained silent for a long moment, unsure of what to say before Desmond spoke up with a hopeful look, "Um, if you are headed back toward Pearl Harbor, do you think I could get a lift too?"

* * *

 **Glossary**  
 ** _Kahuna: priest, sorcerer, magician_**  
 ** _  
Koa: strong, brave, fearless_**  
 ** _  
Kanohi: Maori word roughly translated to "face"_**  
 ** _  
Mana: spiritual power, similar to the Chinese concept of chi_**

* * *

 ** _* DreamCasting Done By OrangeDinoThunderRRA*_**

 ** _Desmond Waihee - BooBoo Stewart  
Cameron Monroe - Andrew J. Morley  
Naomi Sato - Kelsey Chow  
David Hosokawa- Kai Braden  
Alexandra Coach - Crystal Reed  
Hannah Johnson - Olivia Holt  
Mr. Sato - Hiro Kanagawa  
Admiral James Taylor - Mark Harmon  
Capt. Benjamin Ramos - Matthew Del Negro_**


	2. Aloha Oceania

**Episode 1: Part 2  
**

Naomi Sato sat quietly gazing out the passenger seat window of the car while Cam drove everyone back into the city of Honolulu. In the backseat, Desmond was already busy telling her father all his fishing stories. She was quietly grateful for the distraction and wondered how awkward the drive would be if she and her father had to speak to each other more after what happened at the temple.

"And then this big thing just shot out of nowhere like a torpedo and smashed the side of my boat… oh my poor Luna," Desmond sighed recounting the events of his day that led to their meeting.

"Luna?" Mr. Sato asked.

"The name of my boat," Desmond said proudly, "Well, in a way… it's kinda my home too. It belonged to my parents a while back but since they died, it's kinda my responsibility now."

Mr. Sato nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that son."

"It's ok," Desmond shrugged, "To me, it's still home and it helps me make an honest living too, so I can't complain."

After a pause, he smiled brightly, Hey! Once I get Luna fixed up, I'd love to take you guys out on a ride… or maybe a fishing trip as my little way of saying thanks for the help today."

"Sure! That actually sounds like fun," Naomi smiled toward the backseat before she noticed the pensive look on Cameron's face. "Um, is everything ok Cam?"

He frowned slightly and shrugged, "Sorry, I was just thinking about Desmond's story just now. Based on this threat that Kanohi was telling us about, do you think whatever ran into Desmond's ship had something to do with it?"

The car fell silent for a moment as the four stopped to consider everything that had happened so far. Naomi held up the yellow bracelet she wore and gave it a thoughtful look, "Well if it is, then I'm sure the three of us will be able to put a stop to it."

Mr. Sato grumbled patiently, "Assuming you three really are now some kind of mystic guardians of Oahu, how do you plan to operate as a team or coordinate your efforts? You've all got your own lives and responsibilities after all."

Naomi pondered it for a moment before saying, "What about that big beach house that you haven't been able to sell?"

"You mean the one I let you stay in for almost nothing?" Sato retorted earning a scowl from his daughter.

"For starters, if Desmond and Cam want, they can stay there too," she said, "There's plenty of space and a ton of empty rooms. Hell, it's almost like a little apartment complex. Oh, and there's a small inlet where Desmond could park his boat too."

"That's a very generous offer Naomi," Cameron cut in while giving a nervous glance toward her father, "But are you really sure about that? I mean… we all barely know each other, and I'd need to get permission from my CO to live off base, and besides… wouldn't all this make your dad kinda upset?"

"Oh don't worry so much Cam. I'm sure it'll be fine," Desmond laughed good naturedly, "If Kanohi trusts us enough with these magic powers of his, then we all must be pretty good people at heart to begin with, right?"

Mr. Sato frowned again toward his daughter before saying in a surprisingly calm voice. "All right then Naomi. You're a grown woman. Go ahead and make your own choices… apparently there's no point in me trying to talk any more sense into you if you won't listen to me."

Turning to the two men, he said in a level tone, "Mr. Waihee? Lt. Monroe? I apologize for all this. I'm sure you're both decent upstanding young men, so please feel free to stay at the beach house if you wish."

Desmond and Cameron exchanged a hesitant look at the awkward situation, unsure if Mr. Sato was really being sincere or just testing them.

After a long pause, Cameron cleared his throat and focused on the road again, "First thing's first. Let's just worry about making it back into Honolulu and getting some help for Desmond here."

* * *

Hannah Johnson gave a tired sigh as she peeled off her wetsuit and threw on a pair of shorts and a sporty orange t-shirt. Giving a wave to some of her coworkers, she climbed off the deck of the small white charter boat emblazoned with the blue Go Deep company logo.

As the young eighteen year old girl began to walk down the pier, she idly shook out her blonde hair again after her most recent dive. It was a busy Saturday and there had been a lot of tourists to take out that morning. Hannah had only started working part time for the charter diving company a few months ago to help pay for college. Fortunately for her, she had caught on quickly and was a natural when it came to diving and swimming.

Still, Hannah had a lot of learning to do, not only with guiding swimmers around the local reefs, but also getting acquainted to the rigors of her new college classes as well. Despite the thought of homework at the back of her mind, it was a beautiful afternoon and she wanted to stay out a little bit longer in the warm sun before returning home to her little apartment.

As Hannah strolled down the jetty and into the heart of the marina, she stopped and froze hearing the panicked cries of terrified people. She glanced over and saw a crowd of people scrambling away from the marina as a large group of monstrous creatures climbed onto the pier and began marching forward. They had the fearsome look of ancient Hawaiian tribal warriors equipped with masked coconut helmets and spears. Even more disturbing was their pallid complexion and rotting skin. In some ways, they almost looked like zombified soldiers.

While the soldiers shambled forward and chanted in a series of rhythmic grunts and moans, another monstrous humanoid moved to the front rank to lead them. It looked to be some sort of fish man with jagged features and scaly rust colored skin. In its hand, it carried a jagged trident made of green colored metal.

"Huaka'i po!" it called in a guttural voice, "Night-marchers! Stay together with me! We make for the center of the city!"

Giving another sadistic laugh, the fishman began to fire off crackling bolts of electricity from his trident. The bolts tore through several small buildings around the marina causing even more chaos and destruction. After a moment of wide eyed terror, Hannah caught her breath and began to dash in the opposite direction, hoping to escape whatever horrible creatures had just risen from the depths of the oceans.

* * *

As the small blue rental car pulled into the western harbor area of Honolulu, Naomi curiously poked her head out the window when they stopped abruptly before a crowd of fleeing people. "Hey, what's going on?"

As she asked that question, a bright streak of lightning was seen as the upper corner of a nearby building exploded and rained down debris on people below.

"Whoah! What the hell was that?" Desmond cried jumping from the backseat to take in the scene. Several small plumes of dark smoke had begun to rise from the ruins of nearby buildings as terrified civilians continued to rush past.

"Terrorist attack?" Cameron suggested with a hint of sudden fear as he stepped out of the car too.

"Not unless they've figured out how to channel thunderbolts themselves," Naomi pointed out while joining her two new friends. "Do you think this is the work of that evil sorceress?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Cameron replied with a grim look, "In the mean time, we have to do something to help. There might be some civilians nearby who are trapped or injured."

"All right then. What are we waiting for?" Desmond called taking off into the direction of the chaos. As Cameron hurried off to follow him, Mr. Sato caught his daughter's arm with a look of genuine fear and concern.

"Naomi, please. Do you really have to do this?"

"I'm still a lifeguard Dad. I might not be in the water right now, but if people's lives are in danger, I've got to try and help." Before her father could say anything more, she took off running to join the others.

* * *

Hannah coughed and cracked her eyes open as she lay amid the smoldering debris of a damaged building. Her head was swimming and her ears rang as she tried to recall what just happened. One minute she was running and the next, the building nearby exploded and she was thrown hard to the pavement. As she struggled to rise, she felt a gentle hand come down and steady her shoulder.

"Take it easy miss. Are you ok?"

Hannah looked up to see a young bespectacled man in an open green shirt kneeling over her. He had a gentle face and looked to have some Asian features but it was hard to tell with her disorientation. "Who are you? What's going on?"

"My name is David," he said scooping her up with surprising strength, "David Hosokawa. I'm a doctor. Just try not to move too much, ok? I'm gonna get you to safety." At that moment, David turned around as he saw three other young people hurry over from the wreckage.

"Is everyone alright here?" Desmond asked in concern.

"We'll be ok," David replied with a grateful nod, "I think this young lady here might have a concussion though."

Before he could speak more, everyone looked up too see a pack of the Night-marcher warriors approach and fan out, preparing to attack.

"What the hell are those things?" David asked fearfully as he wondered how he would be able to protect his new patient in his arms.

"They look like Huaka'i po," Naomi answered, "Night-marchers... evil spirits and ghosts of the ancient warriors."

"Whoever they are, we're not going to let them harm these people," Cameron said firmly. Turning to David, he said, "You two get to safety. We'll deal with this."

David nodded fearfully as he quickly carried Hannah over to safety under the ruins of a nearby pavilion.

As the Night-marchers approached menacingly, Naomi turned to the others in fear, "Um... do you guys have any idea what we do now?"

As she spoke, the coral gemstones on each of the three bracelets began to resonate and glow with vibrant energy. Desmond looked in wonder at his bracelet before grinning, "I have no idea, but I'll bet these things will show us the way."

Raising their wrists, the three were engulfed in a brilliant shimmering light that blinded the Night-marchers and caused them to stagger back in surprise. From their hiding place near the pavilion, both Hannah and David watched in awe as the three people they had just met disappeared in colorful swirling ocean waves of energy and emerge in heroic new forms.

As the colored energy washed over the marina in a crashing sea spray, three new Power Rangers stood to challenge the undead warriors. Like the Night-marchers, the Rangers' suits bore a similar tribal motif except their colors were vibrant and bright. Along their wrists, arms, ankles, and necks were white triangular patterns reminiscent of the grass wrist and ankle bands of the island's ancient warriors.

"All right!" Desmond cheered pumping a triumphant red gloved fist. "I can't believe it worked! I feel awesome!"

"Can this be? Are we really Power Rangers now?" Naomi asked aloud staring in wonder at her own yellow suit.

"I think we've got bigger problems to worry about right now," Cameron cut in, pointing toward the advancing Night-walkers. "You guys ready?"

"Let's do it!" Desmond cried rushing forward and engaging the first wave of undead minions in hand to hand combat.

Despite their fear and uncertainty, both Cameron and Naomi followed Desmond into battle and began to feel the same strange confidence and natural instinct in how to move or fight. It was almost as if the echoes of those old tribal warriors were magically guiding their movements and strikes.

To their surprise, the three Rangers easily battered back the first wave of Night-marchers using their newfound talent at _Lua_ , the old Hawaiian style of martial arts. Both David and Hannah watched as the Rangers moved like colorful blurs, deftly incapacitating their enemies with several painful joint locks, arm throws, and bone breaking strikes.

As a second wave of the monsters poured into the square to stop the new threat, the three Rangers stood back to back and reached to their sides. In one swift motion, each drew a large tribal combat knife and met the renewed assault by the undead foot soldiers.

Giving a laugh, Desmond enthusiastically dove into the melee using his large build to overpower enemies and slash them away with broad powerful strikes. As opposed to the Red Ranger's aggressive fighting style, Cameron took a more defensive and no nonsense approach: patiently parrying aside enemy blows with his dagger and reversing them one by one to land brutally efficient counter attacks. Nearby, Naomi nimbly somersaulted and wove through the minions using her smaller frame and natural agility. On first glance, her movements seemed spontaneous and unpredictable, but the growing mound of fallen enemies before her hinted there was indeed a method to her wild fighting style.

Having dropped all the Night-marchers around them, the three Rangers turned just in time to see another cracking blot of thunder tear through the small plaza they were standing in. In a flash, the Rangers safely tumbled away from the attack and spotted the monstrous fishman with the trident.

As they regrouped, the fishman sneered, "You're in the way of Queen Hine Nui's vanguard! Just who do you humans think you are?"

"We're the new guardians of this island," Desmond called back, "So go tell your queen that the Power Rangers are back."

"And we're not going to let you harm this city without a fight," Naomi added bravely while bouncing on her heels in excitement.

"If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get," the fishman growled firing off a burst of shocking energy from his weapon.

While the Rangers dodged the attack, Cam rushed forward and took his turn at the forefront of the attack, instinctively using his blue coral gemstone to transform his dagger into a long steel blade shaped like a shark fin. To the monster's surprise, the Blue Ranger leapt high and brought down his blade in a punishing blow. The fishman reeled as the charged sword shimmered with blue watery energy and smashed into him with the force of a tidal wave that knocked him to the ground.

As the monster staggered, Desmond and Naomi followed up and summoned their own weapons: a tribal spear and a pair of small clubs with shark tooth lined edges.

"Let's give Cam a hand!" Desmond cried twirling his weapon and igniting the spearhead with volcanic flames. The fishman gasped in terror and desperately tried to fend off Desmond's strikes which left trails of fire in the air.

Catching Desmond's spear with the prongs of the trident, the fishman forced both weapons to the ground but was outmaneuvered as the Red Ranger moved in and sent the monster flying again with a sideways snap-kick. As the disarmed monster rolled to its knees, the Yellow Ranger sprung from behind and pummeled the creature with a furious barrage of strikes from her serrated clubs.

Amid the yellow windstorm that erupted from the attacks, Naomi jumped clear and regrouped with the others as each Ranger let loose one last charged melee attack, striking the monster with the combined forces of Earth, Sea, and Sky.

"This is only the beginning Rangers," the fishman gasped with a dying gurgle, "My queen will have her revenge."

Before the Rangers could reply, the fishman collapsed backward and erupted into a wispy cloud of black and purple smoke.

"I can't believe it," Cam said lowering his blade in awe, "We won… we're actually Power Rangers now."

"You'd better believe it," Desmond cheered happily as he gave Naomi a high five. "I mean, haven't you ever wished you were a superhero too?"

As the Rangers powered down, Cam spoke again, "Well yeah… but this is serious guys. These powers Kanohi gave us are real and so is the threat to the islands now. Whoever this Hine Nui is, I'm sure she'll be back in full force and we're going to have to be prepared."

Naomi stopped and thought about it for a moment before nodding, "You're right. I say we all head back to the beach house and sort this out tonight. If we have to, we can go see Kanohi again tomorrow."

From their hiding place, Hanna rubbed her eyes as she and David watched the three Rangers depart the marina.

"Did I just see those three people become... Power Rangers?" David asked in awe. "Do they even exist out here?"

"I'm the one who hit my head," Hannah pointed out tiredly, "If you saw them too, then there's no way in hell I was hallucinating just now."

The young doctor shook his head to himself and helped Hannah rise as he surveyed the ruined marina, "Well, we can worry about who those people were later. For now, let's get you some medical attention. I'm sure you won't be the only one."

In the wake of a sudden unprecedented monster attack, he could only wonder just how many other civilians would be harmed by the end of all this chaos.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_  
 _ **Don't worry, I didn't forget about the Pink Ranger. It's only a matter of time now before our rookie heroes fill out their ranks and become official Ocean Rangers. That said, I'll be updating Oceania on a semi-regular basis since my other series Vanguard still has first priority. Otherwise, thanks again for reading everyone. Until then!  
**_


	3. Kanalua: Doubt

**Episode 2: Part 1**

Hannah held her breath as the peroxide cloth stung the small scrape on her chin. Nearby, other EMTs tended to injured civilians while fireman and police secured the area around the marina doing damage control. The young diver patiently sat on a bench near an ambulance while David carefully finished cleaning out her injury.

"All right Hannah, I think you should be ok now," he said putting a small bandage on her chin. "The concussion seems to be mild, but I want you to head to a hospital if you get any more nausea, confusion, or blurriness."

"Thanks Doc... and sorry about all the trouble here," Hannah said with a grateful sigh. "But thank you for saving me earlier too."

"I think that was more the Power Rangers' doing, but you're still welcome," he said with a kind chuckle.

Before he could say anything else, a pretty young woman of about 25 wearing jean shorts and a pink summer blouse hurried over from the crowd and grabbed Hannah's shoulders in relief. The short fair skinned girl had long brown hair and fixed her blue grey eyes on her friend, "Hannah! There you are! I'm so glad you're ok! I came as soon as I could."

The younger girl rose to her feet and did her best to give her friend and college classmate a reassuring look, "Don't worry Alex. I'm fine. Thanks for coming to pick me up though."

Alexandra surveyed the scene with a look of concern and frowned, "I heard that there was some kind of a monster attack earlier. Can you believe it? All the way out here?"

"Of course," David chimed in, "We witnessed the whole thing and the arrival of some new Power Rangers."

Alexandra looked to him in surprise before Hannah spoke up, "Alex, this is Dr. David Hosokawa. He helped pull me clear before the Rangers showed up."

"Really?" she smiled sounding impressed, "A doctor who's off the clock but still saving lives? Sounds really heroic."

"Oh gee, I don't know about that. I was just doing the right thing," David said timidly while adjusting his glasses "It was nothing… really."

"My name is Alexandra Coach," the girl in pink said extending a hand, "But you can call me Alex. I'm Hannah's classmate at the local university and if it's ok with you, would you mind letting me buy you a coffee as a way to thank you for looking out for Hannah here?"

"Wait a sec, are you really using me to get a date here?" Hannah interjected with a raised eyebrow toward Alex.

For being such a tall well built man, David gave a sheepish smile and shook Alex's hand, "Oh… well, sure. I don't see why not."

After exchanging phone numbers, Alex walked Hannah back to her car proudly looking at the new number in her phone.

"You're welcome by the way," Hannah sighed giving her classmate a teasing smile, "Not a bad way to get hooked up with a doctor, huh?"

Alex regarded the younger girl calmly before saying, "Speaking of which, I hope your dad doesn't flip when he sees your chin tomorrow. You were going to visit your folks tomorrow right?"

Hannah sighed as she remembered lunch with her parents and suddenly felt a whole new headache coming on.

* * *

The next day, Naomi Sato stepped outside on the back porch of the large beach house looking out toward the ocean. It was a hot sunny morning and she debated how she would spend her free day after having finished her breakfast. As she faced the blue waters and glanced again at the yellow coral bracelet around her wrist. Between meeting the tiki Kanohi, becoming a Power Ranger, and saving the city of Honolulu, yesterday had almost seemed like a surreal dream. The consequences of being a Ranger and how that affected her already strained relationship with her father hadn't quite sunk in yet either and she was reluctant to give it any more thought for now.

She couldn't also help but wonder a little bit about her two new friends and fellow Rangers, Desmond and Cameron. Neither had decided to stick around the other night being too preoccupied with their other issues at the moment. Desmond had gone to get his ship towed and Cam said he needed to return to base to give an important report.

Giving a sigh, Naomi sat down on a deck chair suddenly feeling a little lonely. She wondered if the other two would take her up on her offer to stay, though part of her deep down hoped they would. As the Yellow Ranger gazed out toward the waters, she was surprised to see a small fishing ship with white and red stripes being towed toward the small inlet near the house. The sails and rigging had been taken down and Desmond sat at the very bow of the ship looking very tired and dejected. As the fishing ship was finished being towed in to safety, Naomi hopped off her porch and hurried over to greet the Red Ranger on the landing.

"Hey Desmond! Is everything ok?" she asked curiously examining the boat.

The fisherman shrugged and gave a tired yawn as he greeted her, "Yes and no, Naomi. The good news is, Luna here is safe and sound. She hasn't taken too much damage and I should be able to get her repaired soon."

"What's the bad news?" Naomi asked.

The Red Ranger sighed, "All the money from my most recent catch just went toward paying for the tow and upcoming repairs. I'm not broke, but I'm gonna be on a tighter budget for a little while."

Naomi gave a kind hearted smile and patted his shoulder, "Oh, don't worry Desmond. I'm still glad you brought your boat back here and you're more than welcome to stay. After all, our culture says we're all neighbors on this island and have to help each other out, right?"

"Thanks again Naomi. I really appreciate the help," Desmond smiled. "Now, if it's ok with you, I was going to crash for a little in the cabin of my boat. Then maybe I thought you, me, and Cam could go visit Kanohi again later to talk more about this Power Ranger business."

"Sounds good," the Yellow Ranger nodded pulling out her phone, "Go grab some shuteye and I'll give Cam a text to fill him in."

* * *

Bright noon sunlight streamed into the lavish office as Cameron Monroe sat rigidly in a chair looking out toward the USS Arizona Memorial in the harbor. Behind the dark wooden desk, a wizened older man with short gray hair and an impressive looking uniform sat reading Cameron's report. Finally, Admiral James Taylor closed the file and fixed the young man with a curious look, "Well Lieutenant, I must admit… that's quite a story."

"I know it sounds hard to believe sir, but that is really what happened… everything," Cameron replied nervously.

The older Admiral raised an eyebrow, "I see you didn't disclose the names of the other two Rangers."

"That is need to know information sir. I felt protecting their identities were more important for them to carry on their lives and their mission. Mr. Sato agreed with me."

Off to the Admiral's side, Cameron's commanding officer Captain Benjamin Ramos stood at attention, "Sir, Mr. Sato is an old family friend of mine and he's always been a sensible person. I can vouch for his credibility."

Admiral Taylor glanced to Ramos before looking back at Cameron, "Oh, I believe you son. But you realize that there would be others in the military or the government who might become very interested in that bracelet of yours... if they found out."

"Sir, Kanohi entrusted me with these powers for the good of the island," Cameron said carefully, "I don't think it's a good idea to try and find a way to use them for war or political purposes."

"Neither do I Lieutenant," Taylor answered gravely, "That's why I think it's best that I put you on a modified assignment."

"Sir?"

Admiral Taylor pulled out a pen and began writing on his personal stationary. "Lt. Monroe, in addition to your new role as a Power Ranger, you will remain on active duty serving as a personal intelligence officer reporting only to me and Captain Ramos. Your job will be to monitor and assess the threat from this witch named Hine Nui."

"You will be authorized to use any force necessary to neutralize those threats which pose a danger to the people on this island. Here are your new written orders, as well as permission to live and operate off base should it help in your assignment."

"Thank you sir, but are you really sure about having me do all this?" Cameron asked hesitantly.

Admiral Taylor's expression softened as he passed the young man his orders, "Lieutenant, before our meeting, I looked at your file. Graduate of Annapolis, excellent evaluations on your last deployment and an early promotion to Lieutenant. I have no doubt you'll do your duty well. As far as this Power Rangers business goes, I'll leave the rest to you. Dismissed."

Cameron rose and gave a crisp salute before heading out the door into the hot sunny air. Once he left the flag officers' compound, Cameron began to exhale in relief as he walked along the grounds of the base toward the officer's housing units.

He had been billeted to a small apartment nearby but given the fact he had only been in Hawaii for less then a week, he hadn't even unpacked. With his newfound freedom to roam the island, he also wondered if taking Naomi up on her offer to stay at the beach house would be better after all. Despite the potential impropriety, the thought of sharing space with such a beautiful young woman was also a bit appealing and made him smile a little to himself.

Just then, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard someone call out to him from across the walking path. He turned and saw a younger blonde girl quickly approaching from his side. She wore an orange sun dress along with a bandage on her chin and as she hurried over, Cameron's stomach dropped as he recognized her from the other day at the marina.

"Hey! Wait up!" Hannah Johnson called running up to him, "Excuse me sir, but didn't I see you at the marina yesterday?"

Cameron stared at her for a long moment before turning away nervously, "Ah... no. You must be mistaken miss. We've never met before."

"No," she said shaking her head triumphantly and pointing to his blue coral bracelet, "You are him! You're the same Lieutenant who became a Power Ranger and beat up that fish monster in the city yesterday."

Cameron stopped again and glared at her, trying to reassert control of the conversation, "Wait a second. How do know my rating? And what's a kid like you doing here on a military base?"

Hannah held up an ID with a proud smirk, "Military brat. I was visiting my folks on base today."

"Your Dad's in the service too?" Cameron asked.

Hannah looked up for a moment and nodded as an F-22 fighter jet passed low overhead toward Hickam Field, the joint Air Force base attached to Pearl Harbor. "He's an Air Force Captain stationed at Hickam."

After a pause, she extended a hand, "Listen, sir… My name is Hannah Johnson. I promise I won't tell anyone your secret. I just... wanted to thank you for helping to save me the other day."

Cam studied the younger girl carefully for a long moment before giving a nod and shaking her hand, "Cameron Monroe… and you're welcome."

At that moment, Cam's phone buzzed and he checked it, seeing it was a message from Naomi.

"So… um, are you off on another secret mission from the Admiral today or something?" Hannah asked curiously.

Cam simply smirked and gave a little wave as he began to walk off, "Ranger business actually. I'll see you round kiddo."

Hannah stood in silence watching Cameron leave before giving a small frown. That was it? She was a just a kid? This was a once in a lifetime experience! It wasn't every day that someone got to meet a real life Power Ranger and be in on their secret too. Something big was happening to the island and she wanted to find out what. After all, it was better than just sitting back and being ignorant about everything. That's what a little kid would do.

She made a determined fist and made up her mind. There was only one thing to do now, and that was to follow the Blue Ranger to see exactly what was going on.

* * *

Some time later that day, the three Rangers gathered together again at Ocean Point Temple and stood before the great tiki at its center. As they did, the tiki's eyes and mouth lit up again with its mystical fires giving off both a wondrous and slightly intimidating light.

"Kanohi! We've returned to speak with you," Desmond said stepping forward. "We've used your powers and defeated Hine Nui's first attack."

"And you did an impressive job," Kanohi replied, "But there will be more. The power that the sorceress controls is much greater and more terrible than you can imagine."

"So how are the three of us supposed to defeat her?" Naomi asked, "With the way you're talking, I'm kind of doubting that the three of us alone will be able to do it."

The tiki answered solemnly, "Your answer lies in seeking out other worthy candidates to aid in our struggle Naomi. You three were granted the cardinal elements of Creation on this island: Volcanic Fires, Water, and Wind. But there two other equally important powers that gave rise to life here: the power of the Earth itself, and that of the Light."

"I don't understand Kanohi, are we supposed to host some kind of talent show or open tryouts for new Rangers then?" Desmond asked incredulously.

The tiki gave a brief grunt as if he was shaking his head, "No, but I leave the decision to you three. You have already proven yourselves able heroes with true hearts. I trust you will be able to find other willing heroes like yourselves to join in the battle with Hine Nui."

While Kanohi spoke, Hannah Johnson edged closer around the edges of the Ocean Point Temple ruins. Having secretly followed Cameron from the base to the temple, the girl looked around in wonder at the ancient stone ruins and gaped in silent awe at the talking tiki head with bright flames lighting up within its mouth. That was until she spotted the vermin.

The girl looked down and gave a startled yelp as a large rat scurried over her feet and ran off into some nearby rubble. A she tumbled out of her hiding spot and onto the ground, Cameron was the first to whirl around and pull his service pistol from his side.

Hannah gasped as she saw the barrel of the gun pointed directly at her, before the Navy officer quickly lowered his sidearm with an angry look, "Hannah? What on earth are you doing here? Did you follow me all the way here from the base?"

"Well... yeah," she answered timidly as Desmond and Naomi stared in shocked recognition of her. "I mean, something is wrong with the islands. I wanted to find out what because that means my family, and everybody else here will be put in danger. I figured if anyone would know what's going on, it would be a Power Ranger, right?"

"Are you crazy! I almost blew your freaking head off," Cameron sharply scolded her as he put his pistol away.

"You know this girl?" Desmond asked curiously.

Naomi carefully stepped closer and helped Hannah to her feet before putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Right now, we're just going to have to deal with the fact that you know our secret. I think it's best that you start at the beginning and explain everything."

* * *

Meanwhile, a sinister figure stood on the beaches of her deserted island overlooking Oahu. Since her coming, the small little island Hine Nui now inhabited had become shrouded in a mystical fog that played tricks on the eyes of outsiders and phased the land in and out of reality at will. The pale sea witch with black lips continued to watch using the dim light of the sun that had filtered in through the fog.

It was a little surprising her first wave of invaders had been repelled, but it was an insignificant loss.

"If my power has been challenged, then that can only mean that old wizard Kanohi is still there," Hine Nui smirked in amusement as she stroked her long tangled black hair. "Enjoy your first little victory old friend. The great _koa_ warriors you once led are gone and I am playing the long game for your island."

Giving a snap of her finger, Hine Nui summoned a sinister lizardman-like creature from the dark waters around her. It had large glowing eyes, sharp jagged teeth, and fearsome spikes protruding from its green scaly skin. In its hand, the monster carried a large spiked club and it snarled in anticipation of orders from its mistress.

"Go now my _Taniwha_ and wreak havoc among the humans in my name. Go!"

The creature gave an ecstatic hiss and turned toward the beach, disappearing into the dark murky waters on its way to terrorize the people of Honolulu once more.


	4. Lokahi: Unity

**Episode 2: Part 2**

Doctor David Hosokawa took another sip of his cocktail as he and Alexandra sat in the shade of The Silver Marlin, an outdoor restaurant-café near the beach of Waikiki. He wasn't sure if his face was feeling a little warm due to the hot day outside or if came from his nervousness at the pretty girl he was spending the afternoon with.

"So… Alex, this was a nice choice for a place to go today," he offered politely as they waited for their food, "I was originally thinking it was just going to be a corner Starbucks sort of thing."

Alex smiled, "I'm glad you like the place. I just thought we'd do something a little more fun because I actually know the owner of this place. She's another friend of mine by the name of Bailey Hampshire. At the very least, you know we'll be guaranteed great service."

David nodded and looked out toward the waters of the beach, "I can also see why you like this spot near the ocean. You said you were finishing up schooling for marine biology, right?"

"Yeah. Both Hannah and I are in the same curriculum so that's how we became friends. What about you? Do you like the water too?"

David laughed softly, "I had to. I came from the islands of Japan, so I think I know a thing or two about water."

"And the dogtags around your neck?" she pointed out curiously.

David glanced down at the tags he wore over his shirt and shrugged, "I was actually in the military briefly. My brother was in the medical corps and gave these to me as a gift when I did a short stint in the JDF forces. Honestly though, I'm not big on the way of the soldier. As a physician, I'm more concerned with protecting and preserving life, rather than taking it."

"I guess being a doctor keeps you busy then," Alexandra smiled gently stirring her own cocktail, "Doesn't leave much time for this sort of thing?"

David shifted in his seat slightly and smiled in slight embarrassment, "Well… no. But to be really honest, I'm not all that great or lucky when it comes to romantic situations either."

As he said that, he heard several people cry out in alarm from the direction of the beach, ruining the moment. The two looked out across the way to see a fearsome spiked lizard monster emerge from the shallow waters followed by another pack of the dreadful Night-marcher warriors.

"You weren't kidding about being unlucky," Alex quipped grimly watching in horror as the creatures chased away beachgoers, "I'd almost think you were some kind of magnet for these monsters."

"That, or they mixed these drinks too strong," the doctor muttered glancing at his drink. David then began to survey the chaos unfolding before him with a worried look. Wherever these monsters were coming from, they were causing so much fear and suffering, and it pained him inside to see such things. Wishing there was something more he could do, his first priority was making sure Alex was safe.

Before he could suggest they flee with the other restaurant patrons, the two watched in surprise as a dark skinned native Hawaiian girl burst from the kitchen furiously wielding a large heavy frying pan. "All right! Where are those monsters? Just let them try to come close to my restaurant!"

Alex gaped in complete shock to her friend and owner of the restaurant, "Bailey? What do you think you're you doing?"

The charismatic girl in a green tank top and denim shorts gave Alex a confident smirk and gripped her pan with determination, "This is my restaurant Alex. If you think I'm going to let a bunch of goons with coconut heads tear the place up and scare away my customers, then they've got another thing coming."

"Well, I can't leave you here by yourself either," Alex said picking up a broomstick from a nearby wall. Taking a nervous breath she nodded, "I'll stay and help."

David could only look in shock as the Night-marchers approached and the two young women stood ready to defend the restaurant. With a reluctant sigh, he grabbed a wooden chair to use as an improvised weapon and prepared to meet the charge of the monster foot soldiers.

"Oh damn. What have I gotten myself into now?" he muttered bleakly to himself suddenly hoping the Power Rangers would show up to help again.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Ocean Point Temple, the three Rangers stood with Hannah, speaking with her about how she had gotten involved in all this. As they did, Kanohi spoke gravely, "You understand now why you are bound to secrecy about this Hannah. Queen Hine Nui is a powerful force of Death and Darkness. Only these Rangers will be strong enough to stand against her magic and they will need your cooperation now if they are to succeed in protecting the people of these islands."

"I understand," she said solemnly, "I promise I won't tell a soul."

Desmond gave a friendly smile and patted her on the back before turning to the tiki, "Well, now that we've got that out of the way, that actually begs the next question… do you suppose we should consider choosing her to be a new Ranger?"

"Whoah, hey! I didn't sign up to be a Power Ranger," the younger girl balked in sudden fear.

"Neither did we exactly," Naomi retorted before turning to Desmond, "Still, I don't think that's a good idea. We barely know what we're doing yet… and besides, she's still kinda young."

"I'm standing right here you know," Hannah pouted indignantly while crossing her arms. For a moment, part of her suddenly wanted to take up a Ranger morpher and prove to the others she wasn't just some dumb kid that needed to be protected all the time.

"It's best you save this argument for later," Kanohi interrupted them. There's been another attack by one of the sea monsters. The four of you, please gather around the temple wellspring."

The four young people exchanged a look and walked over toward the large natural spring built into the temple itself. Within the rippling waters, they could see a lizard like monster and his Night-marcher escorts rampaging through the beachfront of the city.

"What the heck is that thing?" Naomi asked with a frown. "Hine Nui's monsters just keep getting uglier and uglier."

Kanohi's light flickered for a moment, "That is a Taniwah, a man eating lizard creature spawned from the lore of the Maori people."

"The important thing is, how do we defeat it?" Cam asked crossing his arms with a serious expression, "Was there anything in the legends about their vulnerabilities, or ways to trick them?"

"Many heroes of old were able to vanquish the Taniwah through regular force of arms. This one should be no different," Kanohi replied authoritatively.

"All right. That's good enough for me," Desmond said eagerly pounding his fist, "But it looks like that monster is attacking the beaches of Waikiki. How are we even supposed to get there in time?"

"Look to your wrist Desmond," Kanohi instructed him from behind, "Remember Rangers, your powers are drawn directly from nature and channeled through the coral gems of your bracelets. Because of those coral stones, you may use any reflective body of water as a way to instantly travel back and forth around the islands."

"So... it's like portal jumping, or teleportation then?" Naomi asked in shock.

"That's cool as hell!" Desmond cheered cutting her off and admiring his bracelet, "These things just keep getting better and better."

Cam cleared his throat and gave the others an expectant look, "Everyone? I think we have somewhere to be right now, don't you think?"

"I'm coming too!" Hannah chimed in excitedly, "I can help out and get the civilians to safety while the rest of you fight that thing, right?"

"Wrong," Cam said tapping her gently on the head, "Until we figure out what to do with you, you're staying here where it's safe."

The teen gave a petulant grumble and crossed her arms watching as Desmond and the others dipped their bracelets in the pool of water and were instantly whisked away to their newest battlefield.

* * *

Meanwhile, chaos reigned supreme as an all out melee erupted within the outdoor restaurant. As the Silver Marlin's owner Bailey Hampshire led the charge, she knocked one of the Night-marchers backwards as her frying pan connected with the minion's coconut head.

Nearby, Alex fended off three of the undead soldiers with her broom. As she warded two off and kicked the third aside with the snap kick, the other end of her weapon was grabbed by an enemy. Alex gasped as she was pulled toward the other two warriors but she nimbly tumbled under them, reversing her grip on the broom while still holding on.

The Night-marcher stared in shock as the girl suddenly found herself in a better position to counter attack. She gave a hard kick to the knees of one of the monsters, dropping it while bringing her broom around and smashing the head of the other zombie.

Further into the restaurant, David smashed his chair over a warrior while turning to dodge a blow from another. Using his momentum to roll off a nearby table, he ripped off the tablecloth without tipping the remaining dishes and threw it into the face of another Night-marcher. As the soldier fumbled blindly with the tablecloth over its head, David kicked the monster backwards using it bowl another over backwards.

Despite the momentary confusion, the three defenders of the restaurant stopped as the Taniwah approached them and slammed his spiked club on the ground outside with a furious hiss.

"Ok everyone... I'm starting to think now would be a good time to run," Alex murmured in fear eyeing the fearsome lizard creature.

Just then, three figures emerged in a bright light and burst from the shallow waters of the now empty beach nearby. The three people and the monster turned to see Desmond, Cameron, and Naomi hurry from the surf and charge up the bright sand to confront the monster.

"What the hell?" Alex gasped in shock at the miraculous sight, "Who are those people?"

David looked at the familiar faces of the three people and began to smile in sudden relief, "Those are the Power Rangers."

"Hey scale-face! Didn't Hine Nui learn her lesson the first time?" Desmond called out confidently readying his morphing bracelet, "She's not going to beat the Power Rangers."

"Did he just say Power Rangers?" Bailey asked from behind a counter as she dropped her frying pan.

"Last chance buddy," Cameron warned the monster, "We're not going to go as easy on you as we did the fishman."

The Taniwah raised his club and gave a furious hiss.

"Sounds like he wants to get turned into a designer handbag," Naomi smirked raising her bracelet.

"All right, let's do things right," Desmond grinned as his bracelet began to glow, "We're all connected to the water so we'll do this as Ocean Rangers. Everyone? Ocean Bracers ready!"

"Point Break!" they called in unison. (*)

In a flash of colorful rippling light, the three morphed again and emerged as the first official Ocean Rangers amid a tidal wave of energy and spraying water. As they did, Desmond led their roll call:

"Fierce as the Raging Volcanoes, Red Ocean Ranger!"

"Steady as the Surging Tides, Blue Ocean Ranger!"

"Free as the Howling Winds, Yellow Ocean Ranger!"

"Riding the Waves to Victory!" they chorused calling their weapons and standing ready.

As he ignited the head of his spear, Desmond waved the others forward and charged ahead, "Surf's up Rangers!"

"Wait! What?" Cameron exclaimed in surprise at the extra little addition to their new battlecry. Naomi gave a little laugh and clapped the Blue Ranger's shoulder following along into battle against the Taniwah.

From their hiding places, the three civilians watched as the Rangers leapt confidently into battle with the monster. Desmond moved first, deflecting the Taniwah's club aside with the blunt end of his spear. Reversing his grip and turning the weapon around, he brought the fiery spearhead up and slashed the lizardman, knocking it backwards.

As the creature stumbled and missed with a claw strike, Desmond turned the spearhead downward and drove it into the ground causing a small fissure to split the ground and erupt over the Taniwah in a cloud of volcanic flames.

The lizardman growled and recovered into a roll to shake off the flames that now burned its hide as the Blue and Yellow Rangers leapt forward and attacked together. With a hiss, the Taniwah brought its long tail around like a heavy whip to stop their charge and Cam gasped in panic as he brought his sharkfin blade up just in time to block the counter-attack. While the Blue Ranger halted the force of the tail whip using his weapon and his shoulder, Naomi darted past him and swept through the monster's guard with her small clubs.

Again the monster roared as the Yellow Ranger pummeled him with her serrated weapons. Each blow kicked up a gust of wind that kept the monster off balance long enough for Naomi to somersault aside and let Cam deliver a follow up slash with his own blade. In one deft blow, the Blue Ranger delivered a fully charged strike backed by the watery power of a tidal wave, slicing through the monster's spiked club and into its hide.

As the Rangers regrouped again, the Taniwah slowly rose to its feet but staggered as it finally succumbed to all the injuries inflicted by the Rangers' charged attacks. Sparks and dark swirling magic erupted from the lizardman's body as it cried out and toppled backwards, exploding into a cloud of jet black smoke.

"Scratch another bad guy," Desmond grinned exchanging an enthusiastic fist bump with Cam.

As she unsummoned her own weapons, Naomi walked over toward the restaurant where David, Alex, and Bailey sat watching in awed wonder. The dining area of the Silver Marlin was in shambles from the battle with the Night-marchers but the three had been unharmed. "Is everyone ok here?" Naomi asked helping Bailey rise to her feet.

As the two male Rangers joined her, David stood slowly, "You three… I remember you from the marina yesterday. You're the ones who saved me."

As the three Rangers powered down to their civilian forms, Desmond gave an impressed grin, "Well Doc, it looks like you and the girls already did a pretty good job of saving yourselves today."

Alex simply stared in silence, star-struck from meeting three Rangers in person.

Before anyone else could reply, Bailey was the first to grab Desmond's hand and shake them in enthusiastic gratitude, "Mr. Red Ranger, that was totally amazing! Thank you so much for saving me and my restaurant! You and your two friends are welcome to come eat here any time… on the house! Oh, and I promise I won't tell anyone your secret either. It's the least I could do for you guys."

"Oh? Well… that's really great of you… um, thanks." Desmond laughed, taken aback by Bailey's generous offer.

Naomi tapped him on the shoulder, "Desmond? What about the other two? Dr. Hosokawa knows us now and so does this other girl…"

"Alex," she answered coming out of her awed stupor, "Um... pleased to meet you guys."

The three heroes exchanged an uncertain look before a small smile crossed Cam's lips and he took the shoulders of his two comrades. "Hey, I just got a great idea. Since David and Alex know our little secret and they can obviously handle themselves in a fight..."

Desmond's face lit up as he suddenly caught on and turned to the civilians with the grin, "How would you two feel about become Power Rangers?"

* * *

Later that week, David and Alex stood before the great tiki Kanohi in Ocean Point Temple as he presented them with Ocean Bracers of their own that evening. As they admired their new Green and Pink gems, Cameron stood at attention near the temple wellspring, presiding over the ceremony by himself. Now he had dressed down to civilian clothes, khaki shorts and casual blue short sleeves over a white undershirt.

"You two understand now the dangers that face the island and the responsibilities that now come with accepting these powers?" Kanohi asked after having explained the situation.

David spoke first with a solemn nod, "As much as I hate the idea of violence, this sea witch and her monsters have to be stopped. If I can help out and protect innocent folks from getting hurt, then you can count on me."

Beside him, Alex gave a nervous gulp and nodded, "I...um... thanks for choosing me. I have family and friends on this island and I don't want them to get hurt. Besides, if Hannah said you guys are all friendly and trustworthy, then I think I'll be ok with this."

"Until our next meeting Rangers... may the spirits of the ancients watch over you all."

As the tiki went silent, David and Alex approached Cam near the wellspring.

"Well... I have to admit, even if things didn't exactly work out, that was still the most interesting first date I've ever been on," Alex laughed giving David a kind smile, "To think, we both became new Power Rangers from the deal."

"Which reminds me, where are the others?" David asked curiously toward Cameron.

The Blue Ranger gave a faint smile as he gestured for them to use the wellspring to teleport with him, "Don't worry you two. Desmond, Naomi, and Hannah said they had something important to take care of first. Now, if you'll both follow me?"

* * *

In a flash, the three Rangers used the water to teleport themselves to the beach right outside Naomi's large beach house. As they approached, the two new Rangers were shocked to see an evening beach party already going on in the back yard of the house. Decorations and lights were placed from the back porch while music played from a nearby radio and the smell of cooking meat wafted from an outdoor barbecue. While other party guests laughed and chatted, they could also see colorful lights had been strung up on Desmond's ship Luna near the inlet to the house, giving the boat a festive appearance.

"What's all this?" Alex asked, smiling in surprise as they met the other Rangers and Hannah at the edge of the party.

"Oh, we just thought we'd organize a little party," Naomi grinned brightly, "Not only to celebrate the coming together of the Ocean Rangers, but to welcome you both too."

"Remember, we native Hawaiians are big on our Aloha culture," Desmond added happily, "Namely the parts about kindness, love, and generosity."

At that, Hannah gave an excited smile and grabbed Alex and David's wrists pulling them toward the barbecue, "Check it out Alex! Your friend Bailey from that restaurant offered to cater the party and they've got a big roast pig and everything..."

While the first three Ocean Rangers stood with smiles watching their new friends run off, Desmond turned to Cam and put a hand on his shoulder, "You know Cam, I'm glad you decided to come stay at the beach house after all. Since you moved your things in today, Naomi and I had something special for you too."

The Blue Ranger smiled and gave a curious look as Desmond produced a necklace made of flowers. Quite fittingly, the flowers strung together were colored red, blue, and yellow. "Since you said you flew in through Hickam Airfield, you missed out on an age old Hawaiian tradition for us to show our greetings and affection for visitors. I made this for you so you can get lei'd."

He handed the flowers off to the Yellow Ranger, "Naomi? If you'd be so kind?"

"Wait... what?" Cam asked in sudden surprise.

Before he could say anything more, Naomi placed the flowers around his neck and reached up, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Oh... I um... thanks," Cameron sheepishly grinned as he felt his cheeks grow a little warm. Naomi graced him with a long lingering smile before turning away and joining the other new Rangers by the barbecue pit.

As Desmond laughed and handed his new friend a bottle of beer, Cameron looked out over the festive evening beach party and touched his cheek with a smile, "You know what Desmond? I wasn't too sure at first... but I'm starting to think I'm going to like it here in Hawaii after all."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_  
 _ **(*)Point Breaks are places where ocean waves hit a point of land or rocks on the coast line.**_

 _ **bammybell**_ _ **, if you're reading, thank you for graciously contributing the minor character Bailey Hampshire!**_

 _ **Thank you too to everyone who's been reading along, following or reviewing! I'm having lots of fun with this little side project, but before I get back to updating my other stories, I just wanted to bring this team together first and give you a little taste of things to come. Until then, I'm going to put on some Bing Crosby holiday music and wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Hawaiian style: Mele Kalikimaka!**_


	5. Lawai'a: Fisherman

**Episode 3: Part 1  
**

Ocean waves pounded against the shoreline as the young Hawaiin boy stopped just shy of the surf. Up ahead, his older sister Lani had already dove into the water and waved him out to join her.

"Come on Kai! Don't be so scared," she called with an encouraging smile, "You're never going to learn how to swim if you don't try! I'll be right here."

The young boy grimaced and gave a hesitant look before shaking his head a little, "Do we really have to Lani? Maybe we can try another day... when the waves aren't so high?"

Lani rolled her eyes and gave a patient sigh, "Suit yourself. I'm going to be here a little longer if you decide to change your mind."

Kai sighed and sat down on the sand watching his sister swim out a little further. He really did want to learn, but he couldn't help but feel a little scared and ashamed of himself at the same time. His sister Lani was trying to help him so the least he could do was try. Before he could change his mind, he spotted two large stalks of jagged red coral jutting out of the waters and head toward his sister.

Unsure of what the strange thing was, Kai shouted out a warning and Lani immediately turned and swam back for the shore. The boy stood watching with fear as the strange coral approached quickly and followed Lani until she reached the edge of the water. As his sister gasped and tried to run from the water, she gave a panicked cry as she was tripped and fell into the water.

From the waters emerged a terrifying monster with a large fearsome mouth and jagged teeth. The hideous creature's body looked to be made of jagged coral and it gripped the girl's ankle with a smile. "What have we here? My first little trophy!"

Kai watched as his sister screamed again but she was still too far out in the water and he would have to dive in if he wanted to help. As several undead Nightmarcher warriors emerged from the waters, flanking the coral horror, Lani shouted to her brother, "Go! Run! Get out of here!"

For the second time today, Kai felt the crushing weight of fear and shame as he turned around and fled up the sands of the beach toward his town of Nanakuli.

* * *

Bright morning sunlight glistened off the sparkling waters as the sailboat named Luna cruised effortlessly along the waves and made its way toward the western coast of the island of Oahu. Desmond Waihee smiled with enthusiasm as he tightened some of the sails and hurried back over toward the rear of the boat where Cameron and Hannah were waiting.

Near the helm, Hannah was holding a digital GPS instrument while Cameron held the ship's wheel steady, smiling as he handed it back to the Red Ranger, "Rudder's amidship skipper. Looks like good sailing weather today."

Desmond nodded shifting the boat ever so slightly toward the island, "We've got a good breeze off the windward side and clear skies aport."

"Judging by the wake of the waves, I'd guess we're probably pushing 5 knots easy," Cam added.

"5.5 actually," Hannah chimed in with a little smirk of her own while she checked the monitor, "I'm surprised you two couldn't tell after your little nautical geek-out there."

"Geek-out?" Desmond laughed feigning outrage, "It's how sailing men like Cam and I communicate and get things done on a ship Miss Johnson. Whether it's a little sailboat or a Navy cruiser, there's special language and traditions that must be observed."

"You know Desmond, speaking of old sailing customs, many considered women on a ship to be bad luck," Cam grinned mischievously toward the teen.

Hannah scowled and pointed over toward the bow of the ship. "Really? Then what about them?"

Laying out on the front deck, both the Yellow and Pink Rangers Naomi and Alex were quietly sunbathing in their bikinis, unaware of the whole conversation.

"Oh, they can stay," Desmond teased back with a devilish smile, "But I'm sure the great sea god Kanaloa would still look favorably if we made just one little sacrifice."

"Hey! Quit it!" Hannah protested as Cam began to laugh and chase her away from the helm, "I can swim! It won't matter if you toss me overboard!"

Desmond laughed again, watching as they ran off toward the front of the boat until the Green Ranger exited the interior cabin and joined him at the helm.

"How about you Dave? Are you enjoying the little trip so far?" Desmond asked with a bright smile while continuing to steer.

David gripped a nearby rail as the boat hit a larger wave before giving a hesitant smile, "Yes... but I'll feel a little better once we reach dry land again. I've never felt totally at ease on boats."

The Red Ranger clapped his new friend on the back, "Not to worry Doc. Just start thinking of all the fun you'll have around my hometown of Nanakuli this weekend. It's small, quiet, and a great opportunity for us to spend some time training and bonding as Rangers, right?"

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt considering we're all going to be spending more time together," David mused thoughtfully, "Sure. That sounds fine."

"That's the spirit! Now hold on tight because we're going to make our approach toward the town!" Desmond laughed giving the wheel a hard turn sideways, "Cam! Get on those lines! Hard to starboard, ready about!"

"Ready to tack! Hard to starboard! Aye!" the Blue Ranger answered in reply as Hannah and the other girls looked up in sudden surprise and confusion.

"Oh dear," David mumbled gripping the rail. He quickly braced himself as the boat suddenly caught a strong wind and began tacking hard toward the shoreline, "Here we go again..."

* * *

After sailing up to the pier and safely docking their boat, the Ocean Rangers headed up the short path from the marina into the smaller part of town closest to the coast. Amid the gently swaying palm trees, rows of small simple homes and shops lined the way giving the sense of a small close knit seaside village. In many ways, the area was picturesque, perfectly balancing the natural beauty of the coast with some urbanization.

As the six friends walked up the small narrow street, they noticed the village area was surprisingly quiet and almost deserted. Few people were out driving or even walking around causing Alex to give a troubled frown.

"Um, Desmond? I know you come from a small town and all, but is it always this... quiet?"

The Red Ranger shook his head as he led them into a small seaside hotel that he was familiar with. It was a small wooden building with a rustic, almost tribal look, but it still felt very welcoming and homey. As he entered, he was greeted by the cheerful smile of an older heavyset woman behind the front desk wearing a purple floral dress. "Desmond! Desmond Waihee! Where have you been dear? It's been too long."

Desmond smiled and reached over the counter giving the woman an affectionate kiss on the cheek, "Hi Auntie Lilo. Sorry I didn't call sooner. I just decided to come home for the weekend and I brought some new friends along."

Lilo turned to the other five with a friendly nod, "Well, any friends of Desmond's are a friend to me too. Welcome everyone."

"Lilo and her husband Kale Kahele have run this little hotel here since I was younger," Desmond explained, "They were friends of my parents and have always kinda been like extended family to me."

As Lilo grabbed some room keys from the counter and began filling in some guest paperwork, Naomi looked about and asked, "Um, Mrs. Kahele... when we came into town, we couldn't help but notice that things seemed a little dead around the harbor. Is something going on around town we need to know about?

Lilo looked up and gave a small sigh, "Oh my, is it that bad out there today, dear?"

The others exchanged a puzzled look as Lilo continued, "A few days ago, several people were reported to have gone missing. Nice folks too. One of them was a young girl I knew by the name of Lani. Her poor little brother Kai has been distraught ever since... wouldn't talk to anyone."

After a pause, Lilo spoke again, "Over the past few days, several more people have gone missing right around the water's edge and the local police are baffled. Some of the other locals have been scared and are staying away from the waters right now... they fear some curse has befallen our beaches."

Hannah gave an uneasy gulp as Lilo turned her eyes on her, then to the Red Ranger, "Desmond, I'm not one to put too much weight into superstition, but if you and your friends really insist on staying here for a few days, then please be careful."

Desmond gave a reassuring nod to the older lady and began handing out room keys to the others, "Don't worry Auntie. We'll be careful."

After getting settled in their rooms, Desmond stepped outside the small hotel slinging a small bag behind his back. As he stopped and looked out from his vantage point toward the quiet beachfront, his jaw tightened in concern. Something was wrong in his hometown and Aunt Lilo was worried. If that was the case, he was going to find out what it was.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard several footsteps follow him outside and Alex's voice call out, "Hey Desmond, where do you think you're going?"

He turned around slowly to see his five new friends approach as the Pink Ranger raised her eyebrow.

Desmond gestured to the bag around his shoulder and tried to give a wry smile, "I thought I'd do a little, um... fishing."

"If by fishing, you meant fishing for answers... then we're coming too," David offered striding up and giving Desmond a small clap on the shoulder. "You weren't the only one who thought Mrs. Kahele's story sounded odd."

Naomi stepped forward with a nod, "David is right. Weird things have already started going on around the islands since Hine Nui returned. If people are really in danger here, then it's our job as new Power Rangers to look into it."

Hannah sighed gazing out toward the waves with a longing look. She wanted to go diving here and enjoy a few days off from school but she knew this was the responsible thing to do. She put a comforting hand on Desmond's arm, "Don't worry Desmond. Even if I'm not a Ranger like the rest of you, I'll still help out too. This is your home so if it's important to you, then it's important to us. What do you say?"

Desmond gave a pensive frown before returning a grateful look back toward the others, "All right. Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it!"

Nearby, Cam checked his watch and surveyed the area, "All right everyone. If we're going to cover more ground, let's split up into pairs and have a look around. We'll stay in sight of each other and keep in contact with our phones and Ocean Bracers. Sounds like a plan?"

"Alright, what are we waiting for?" Desmond responded before anyone could react, hurrying off down toward the shoreline with Hannah in tow.

The Blue Ranger sighed and shook his head toward the others in dismay, "You know, I really wish he'd stop doing that."

* * *

Later that afternoon, David and Naomi walked along the edge of a nearly empty public beach. Despite the relative peace, it was a bit unusual for Naomi. As a lifeguard, she was used to crowded noisy beaches with lots of people and activity. Right now, she had to admit, the emptiness and quiet was a bit disconcerting.

Walking further up along the dune grass, David seemed untroubled and more curious as he bent down to examine something at his feet. As the Yellow Ranger approached, she saw David studying a small flowering plant growing among the sand dunes.

"Hey did you find something?" she asked curiously coming over.

David glanced her way and gave a grin before taking a picture of the flower on his phone. "Sorta. I couldn't help but notice this is a plant species I'm not familiar with."

"You're into flower arranging or something?" the lifeguard asked, making the doctor laugh.

"No. For medical research. I've always been into learning about new plants in hopes that we can figure out ways to make better medicines out of them. It's a sort of hobby of mine."

Naomi shrugged and knelt down to pick up a large chunk of coral nearby in the sand. "Well check this out too. Isn't this kind of weird? What's a piece of coral doing this far up the beach line? I doubt it could wash in, even at high tide."

The two Rangers exchanged a puzzled look before they saw a large shadow be cast over them. As they whirled around to witness the source of the darkness, they caught sight off a monstrous humanoid creature made of coral before they were blinded by a cloud of sea foam.

* * *

Some time later, Cam and Alex walked together along an empty pier by the village's marina. As they watched the boats bob up and down gently, the only sounds they could hear were some keening seagulls and the sound of the surf.

"You know, it's been a while since we heard from the others," Cam said aloud with a pensive frown as they walked. The Pink Ranger glanced at him before giving a light elbow and a gentle laugh.

"Seriously Cameron, you're such a worrywart. If it makes you feel any better, I'll give Naomi a call."

As she pulled out her pink phone, she gave a teasing smile, "That is of course, unless you'd prefer to call her yourself."

The Blue Ranger gave her a mild frown, but before he could reply with a comeback, he grabbed Alex's arm and spun her in the direction he was looking. Climbing up from the waters along their pier, the two Rangers watched as a squad of Hine Nui's Nightmarcher soldiers emerged, barring their path.

"I knew something fishy was going on here!" Cam growled as he and Alex took fighting stances against the incoming zombies.

"You think now is a good time to morph?" Alex asked, raising her Ocean Bracer.

"Now is a good time to surrender!" a monstrous voice answered from nearby.

Both Rangers turned in surprise as a fearsome creature burst from the waters to their other side and unleashed a powerful overwhelming jet of sea foam at them, catching them completely flat footed.

* * *

On the far eastern corner of the coast, Desmond and Hannah made their way through the treacherous terrain where the ocean pounded against rocky outcroppings and formed large tide-pools. As they navigated up a slope Desmond helped Hannah up a rock before looking around, "Well, I'm afraid the only thing I see around here are some good spots for fishing."

Hanna surveyed the area before she stopped and tapped the Red Ranger's shoulder. Along the edge of the coast, the two spotted a young native boy navigating his way around, as if searching for something.

Desmond waved a hand and called out loudly, "Hey! Kid! Over here! What are you doing?"

The young boy Kai froze when he saw the two people and began to hurry away from them, hopping nimbly among the rocks. Desmond and Hannah exchanged a glance before taking off after the strange boy hoping he would be able to clue them in on what was going on, or at the very least, get him safely home.

As they quickly navigated the rocks around the coast and followed the boy up a steep slope, the two were surprised when a squad of Nightmarcher warriors popped up among the rocks followed by the monstrous creature made of coral.

"What the hell is that thing?" Hannah cried in fright but she was cut off as the creature opened its maw and sprayed her with a jet of strange sea foam substance. The girl fell to the ground, stunned and immobilized as Desmond growled and charged forward hitting the monster with a flying jump kick.

The coral creature snarled as it staggered back and a few Nightmarchers moved in to fight Desmond. Unable to find enough time to morph, the Red Ocean Ranger ducked a few blows and sent two zombies flying backwards, outmaneuvering them with a kick and a counter punch. That moment of distraction cost Desmond though as the coral beast moved in and lashed out with its powerful stony arm.

Desmond grunted as the monster backhanded him with a powerful blow and sent him over the edge of the slope, tumbling down the hill toward the rocks below. Giving one last disgusted snort, the monster gestured toward the Nightmarcher warriors who were now picking up Hannah's limp form, "Forget the man in red. He's as good as dead. Hine Nui wants live subjects so that's what we'll get her."

Glancing toward Desmond's hometown in the near distance, the coral beast said with a sinister laugh, "No doubt more humans will come along looking for our victims... and when they do, we'll take them as well."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_  
 _ **Our first character focus and it's gonna be a Red one. I also know you were really eager for an update**_ _ **fantasticrhapsody**_ _ **, so this chapter is for you. Thanks for your patience. :)**_


	6. Kekoa: Courage

**Episode 3: Part 2**

Alexandra Coach groaned and turned her head as she slowly regained consciousness. She could hear the sound of dripping water and she could feel slick wet rocks underneath her. She remembered getting jumped at the pier by some coral monster and she could only guess she was now inside some sort of dark cave. At a time like this, she wished she was back in her safe clean apartment with her little kitten Miko curled up next to her.

As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw her friends and fellow Rangers also sprawled out nearby inside the sea cave. Cam, Naomi, and David were all awake and propped up against some stones, but they had strange patches of thick colorful coral growing over their extremities, weighing them down. They looked just as groggy and likely recovered not long ago either.

"Alex, you're awake!" Naomi called tiredly, "Are you ok?"

The Pink Ranger glanced down in horror and saw the same colorful but heavy coral substance growing over her body.

"Oh God! What's happening to us!" she cried in a rising voice trying to move. Instead, she found her limbs weighted down. Even more horrifying, she could see several other humanoid statues made of coral, standing silently in the grotto. They looked like calcified townspeople.

"Try to stay calm Alex," David sighed trying to sound reassuring, "I'm guessing whatever foamy substance that monster sprayed us with is causing the coral to grow over us too. I hate to say it, but it's really kind of fascinating."

Alex glared at him incredulously while Cam grunted and forced himself to move. He toppled over onto his side and dumped his arm forward. "No offense Doc, but I'm not too keen on waiting to find out what's gonna happen if we just sit here. Naomi, see if you can reach my Ocean Bracer so we can call Kanohi for help."

The Yellow Ranger nodded and extended her arm out toward Cam's wrist nearby, struggling to drag herself within reach of his wrist. As her fingers neared his bracelet, the coral over the Blue Ranger's forearm began to grow again, covering up the morpher.

"Damn!" he hissed angrily before Naomi hushed him.

"Everyone quiet. Someone's coming."

The Rangers went silent and lay still as the coral monster entered, followed by a few Nightmarchers. As the monster walked over toward a dark swirling tidepool, the zombie warriors placed Hannah's unconscious form near the other Rangers.

From the dark tidepool came a disembodied female voice, "Gorgos, have you created any more new thralls to serve me?"

"My Queen Hine Nui, I beg for your patience," the creature named Gorgos answered, "I already have a handful of humans who are in the process of transformation. Until our numbers are greater, we'll wait to make a larger attack on the town."

"Fool," Hine Nui growled, "I will not wait weeks for you to make a move. Go now, take as many human prisoners as you can and attack the nearby town if you have to."

"Yes my Queen," the monster humbly bowed before the magic tidepool evaporated. Gesturing to the Nightmarchers, Gorgos growled and shambled out of the cave, "You heard our queen! Let's get moving."

After they left, Alex whispered to the others in the darkness, "This is not good. How are we going to get out of here and stop that creature?"

"We'll just have to pray Desmond finds a way to save us," David replied watching in concern as the coral slowly began growing up his leg again.

* * *

Some time later, Desmond groaned as he felt cool water splash gently over his face. The bright sun was beating down on him where he lay and his whole body felt sore from the fall. He didn't think he had broken anything, but he still felt like hell.

As he cracked his eyes open, and brushed away a strand of his long dark hair, he saw the same young boy he had chased along the coast earlier. The boy had taken a torn piece of the Ranger's red shirt and dipped it in the water nearby, hoping that the droplets from the rag would revive the man.

"Mister? Are you still alive?" the boy asked as Desmond sat up slowly.

"Barely," the Red Ranger answered looking around curiously, "You came back to help me?"

The boy shrugged, "Yeah. Sorry about running off earlier. I wasn't running from you, but from the huaka'ipo."

Desmond nodded again, "My friend Hannah… a blonde white girl. Do you know what happened to her?"

The boy bit his lip, "The monsters took her away… just like they took my sister."

The Red Ranger stopped and thought for a moment, "Your sister Lani? Is your name Kai?"

Kai nodded and gave a worried look, "I think I found out where the monsters have been taking people. Can you help me save my sister? Please mister?"

Desmond sighed and nodded gently extending a hand to the boy, "Sure. My name is Desmond, and thanks for helping me kid."

Kai shook his hand and sat down beside him on the rocks, "It's all my fault Desmond. If only I had been brave enough to jump in the water and learn to swim, I might have been able to help Lani. She might have escaped."

Desmond put a compassionate hand on Kai's shoulder, "Don't worry kiddo, I know what it's like being the youngest son in a family. Sometimes it's scary seeing your older family members in trouble. They're the ones who are supposed to protect you and you're the one feeling helpless instead."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Kai asked glumly.

"Well, it's simple," Desmond said scratching his hair thoughtfully, "You've just got to will yourself to be brave instead."

Kai looked up at him curiously, "How?"

Desmond frowned to himself for a moment, then said, "A great man once said that Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear. In other words, think of the reason why you need to be brave... like how you want to save your sister, or in my case, wanting to protect my hometown here."

Kai thought it over before giving a small nod, "Ok... I think I sorta understand now."

Just then, Desmond glanced over toward the sea cliffs above and saw a patrol of Nightmarchers coming their way. Whatever they were doing here, Desmond wasn't sure, but it looked like the zombies had spotted them. Kai gave a fearful look as the Red Ranger huddled him down behind some rocks.

"Stay here," he instructed the child, "I'll protect you, ok?"

Desmond reached for his wrist, but found his Ocean Bracer was gone. He must have lost it in the fall. Giving a fearful curse under his breath, Desmond asked the boy, "Did you see a metal bracelet with a red coral gemstone anywhere?"

Kai glanced about in confusion and shook his head.

"Ok, never mind," the Red Ranger said beginning to run in the opposite direction, "I'm going to draw those monsters off. Wait here for me."

Immediately the Nightmarchers spotted the fisherman and gave chase down the beach. After Kai watched Desmond dart away into some rocks further down the beach, the young boy looked around the rocky shores around him searching for the bracelet that Desmond was looking for. As he climbed up on a stone to get a better look, he caught a faint glint in the waters nearby.

Sure enough, there was a metallic tribal bracelet with a beautiful red coral gemstone. It must have fallen into the waters. Unfortunately, the tide was beginning to rise meaning that he would have to jump into the waters to retrieve it. Kai froze a moment in indecisiveness before glancing over down the beach.

To his dismay, he saw the Nightmarchers had cornered Desmond and chased him into the waters. While the young man began to put up a spirited fight, there were too many of the zombies and they began to grab him and pull him into the waters where he was at a disadvantage. Kai screwed his eyes shut remembering Desmond's words and made his decision. He dove into the waters and grabbed the bracelet, before kicking back off the ground and doggy paddling on the surface of the water.

While Desmond struggled nearby, throwing desperate punches and elbows against the undead warriors in the water, he glanced over to where he saw Kai desperately dogpaddling toward him.  
"Kai! What are you doing? Turn back! Run away!"

The young boy shook his head and shouted "Desmond! I've got your bracelet! Catch!"

With one desperate throw, Kai hurled the Ocean Bracer to Desmond and the Red Ranger caught it just as he was pulled underwater by the Nightmarchers. As Kai struggled to stay afloat, he watched in wonder as a bright red light lit up from underwater. In a great eruption of water, the Nightmarchers were thrown every which way and the Red Ocean Ranger burst forth, scooping up the young boy in his arms.

Kai sputtered and coughed water as the Red Ranger carried him swiftly back to the safety of the clear sandy beach. He looked up in wonder before asking, "Mister Desmond? Is that really you?"

The Ranger patted the boy's head and nodded, "Looks like I owe you again Kai. That was very brave of you... thanks."

Looking down the coastline, Desmond said, "Now I was wondering if you could show me where those monsters went so we can save your sister. I have a feeling my friends are in trouble too."

* * *

Some time later, Desmond and Kai made their way into one of the sea caves and entered a dark grotto where the Red Ranger came across his five friends laying helplessly. To his horror, he saw the strange coral substance growing over them, then looked about seeing what looked to be calcified coral statues of other townspeople who were captured.

"Desmond... you came," Cameron murmured weakly as he tried in vain to move again.

The other Rangers voiced a subdued cheer as Desmond hurried over to help prop up Alex and Naomi, the nearest ones to him, "Sorry everyone. I came as fast as I could."

Glancing over, he gave a repentant smile toward David, "Hey Doc, I'm sorry this isn't exactly the weekend fun I promised you either, but I'll make this right, um... somehow."

"Try calling Kanohi with your Bracer," Alex suggested, "We couldn't reach ours."

The Red Ranger nodded and put his fingers to the gem, seemingly activating it, "Kanohi, sorry to bother you, but we've got a bit of a situation here. One of Hine Nui's monsters is running loose and he's cursed the others. It looks like they're turning into coral.

After a moment, the bracelet glowed and Kanohi's voice responded, "Desmond, the powers bestowed upon you and the other Rangers are drawn from the forces of Creation to counter Hine Nui's powers of Death and Decay. Each of your Ranger elements has the ability to cleanse the witch's curses in their own ways."

The Red Ranger stood still for a moment, pondering the wise kahuna's words before he summoned his spear and ignited it with fire. The others gasped as Desmond leveled the blazing spearhead at them, prompting Naomi to cry out, "Desmond! Have you lost your mind? Whose side are you on?"

"Hold on everyone," the Red Ranger replied, "I think I know what Kanohi means. The element of Fire destroys, right? But it also gives way for new growth, like when you burn brush, or when magma cools to become new soil."

Before the others could protest, Desmond used his spear like a miniature flamethrower, burning away the evil coral growths with controlled jets of purifying flames. The Rangers watched in wonder as the coral cracked and burned away, freeing their bodies completely. Turning toward the calcified townsfolk, Desmond did the same thing and grinned as the coral crumbled away restoring each person to their rightful healthy form.

"Lani!" Kai cried rushing over in relief to hug his big sister who was now free of the curse. The Red Ranger watched the two siblings hug each other with a satisfied smile as the other townsfolk dropped to their knees in tired confusion.

"Way to go Desmond!" Hannah cheered congratulating the Ranger with a fist bump while Alex laughed and gave him a grateful hug adding, "Our hero."

Before the six friends could celebrate any more, Desmond's bracelet flickered to life again and Kanohi spoke, "Rangers, Hine Nui's monster is on the move again. I'm sensing its presence now and it seems to be directly attacking the town of Nanakuli."

"We're on it Kanohi," Desmond answered turning to his friends with a grave expression. "Hine Nui's flunkies had better leave my town right now because this just got personal."

* * *

At the edge of Nanakuli, people fled in terror as a platoon of Nightmarchers rampaged through the street, vandalizing property, roughing up civilians, or setting fire to property. As he shambled along the street, the coral monster Gorgos laughed as he sprayed the occasional civilian with cursed sea foam.

From behind, he stopped as he suddenly heard a defiant voice, "Hey freak! Why don't you clear out of here and never come back!"

Gorgos and his troops turned around to see the five Ocean Rangers walking up the street together to confront him. They no longer looked surprised or scared, but rather calm and determined.

"You're back for more?" the monster snorted, "What can a bunch of tourists like you do to me?"

The Red Ranger raised his bracer with a frown, "Why don't you let us show you. Ocean Rangers?"

" _Point Break!_ " the others called together emerging from a shimmering burst of energy as Hawaii's guardian heroes.

 _"Fierce as the Raging Volcanoes, Red Ocean Ranger."_

 _"Steady as the Surging Tides, Blue Ocean Ranger"_

 _"Free as the Howling Winds, Yellow Ocean Ranger"_

 _"Vibrant as the Verdant Earth, Green Ocean Ranger"_

 _"Bright the Shining Sunlight, Pink Ocean Ranger"_

 _"Riding the Waves to Victory!"_ they chorused together.

Desmond grinned as he pulled his spear and leveled it at the intruders, "Surf's up Rangers!"

In a flash, the Rangers drew their weapons and charged in, clearing a path through the Nightmarcher warriors. While Cam swept several foes away with slashes of his ocean saber, David fought right at his side clearing a path with wide swings of his large blunt wooden war club. At the flanks, the Yellow and Pink Rangers darted in and out, taking down the enemies that got past, Naomi with her serrated clubs and Alex with a pair of bright coral knuckle dusters.

While the other Rangers fought off the minions, Desmond burst through the melee to go head to head against Gorgos by himself. The Ranger's spearhead blazed an angry red as he took several furious swings then changed his grip into a thrust. The coral monster blocked the slashes and caught the thrust attack, before letting go again from the intense heat given off.

"That was you at the sea cliffs? I thought you'd be too scared to fight me again," Gorgos sneered as he took a couple wide counter swings at the Ranger and missed.

"I'm a lot braver than you think," Desmond growled pushing back hard as the monster grabbed an end of the weapon. "You're gonna pay for harming my home."

"If I beat you once, I can do it again," Gorgos retorted opening his ugly maw at close range to spray Desmond with his cursed sea foam.

As he did, the Red Ranger changed his grip and swiftly turned his weapon around, driving the fiery charged spearhead straight into the mouth of the creature for a finishing blow. Gorgos froze and choked as the weapon destroyed its mouth and the Ranger's purifying flames ignited inside its body.

Gorgos howled and shuddered violently as Desmond tore his spear out, leaping backward just in time for the monster to collapse and erupt into a cloud of dark smoke and fire. Seeing their commander fall, the other Nightmarchers broke ranks and fled while townspeople who had been sprayed by the evil sea foam felt the curse be lifted.

As the fires died down and the heat of battle faded, Desmond lowered his weapon looking out over the ruined street. While that monster had caused some destruction to the town, it had been relatively minor. It looked like no one had been killed or badly hurt… and that was good enough for Desmond.

Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see David.

"Are you ok Desmond?" the Green Ranger asked in concern followed by the others as they regrouped.

The Red Ranger gave a relieved sigh and nodded, glad that his fellow Rangers were ok too. He had been so caught up in his battle fury with Gorgos that he had momentarily blocked everything else out. "Yeah… I'm ok Doc. Thanks."

Looking to Cam, he saw the Blue Ranger gently tilt his head toward the village, "Come on everyone. What do you say we go make our rounds and make sure everything is ok here?"

Desmond smiled and nodded as he followed behind the others. Battling a sea monster and nearly losing his friends wasn't exactly how he planned to start the weekend, but he was still glad it resulted in the team growing closer together. Now that "work" was out of the way, he hoped they'd still get time for a little fun.

* * *

Later that weekend, warm midday sunlight lit up the ocean as Desmond stood in the shallow waters with Lani watching as Kai dove in from the beach under Naomi's watchful eye. Further down the beach, Alex was already busy showing Hannah the basics of standing on a surfboard while up in the sand dunes, Cam helped David collect some plant samples for the doctor's research.

Turning back toward Kai, he heard Lani give an encouraging call and smiled proudly as the boy pushed forward in the water with a freestyle stroke until he reached his sister.

"How'd I do sis?" he asked tiredly as Lani hugged him and held him back up out of the water.

"Kai, that was great! But I thought you were scared of the deeper water. What made you change your mind?"

The boy glanced up toward Desmond and gave a knowing smile, "I had a new friend teach me that I needed to be brave."

"You mean Desmond?" Lani asked curiously.

Kai shook his head, "No sis, the Red Ocean Ranger!"

Lani blinked in confusion and simply shook her head while Kai grinned back at Desmond and the Red Ranger gave a wink in return. He knew that there was going to be a lot of responsibility in being a Ranger now, but if that meant preserving his homeland and helping people like Kai and Lani live a better life, then it was another job he knew he was going to be happy doing.


	7. Malihini: Newcomer

**Episode 4: Part 1  
**

Naomi Sato rubbed her eyes and gave a sleepy smile as she entered the large kitchen of the beach house and smelled the aroma of fresh coffee on the pot. As she shuffled into the room lit up by morning sunlight, she glanced over and smiled to where her new friend and housemate Cameron Monroe sat at the table. The young Navy officer turned Power Ranger was already awake and dressed, busily typing up a report on his laptop while taking idle swigs of coffee between paragraphs.

"Morning Cam. You're up kinda early on a Friday, aren't you?" she asked curiously seeing the clock read 8:00 AM.

Cam continued to type but raised his eyes for a moment to greet her, "Hi Naomi. I'm always up early. There's a pot of coffee on and some extra pancakes for you and Desmond... whenever he decides to wake up."

"Wow. Early bird already got the worm," she commented in amusement pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting down across from him at the table, "Somebody's been productive. I'm guessing you skipped your usual morning jog then?"

Cam stopped a moment and grinned smugly, "Nope. I cut it short to only three miles."

At that moment, Desmond shuffled out of his own room with a yawn and stopped, sniffing the air excitedly. "Did someone make pancakes?"

"Cam made some for us," the Yellow Ranger answered breezily, "Help yourself."

The Red Ranger happily filled his plate up and plopped down in a chair next to Cam giving him a grateful clap on the shoulder, "Thanks man, and it's not even 9 o clock yet. You're making the rest of us look like total slackers."

The Blue Ranger shrugged and continued working on his report, "Chalk it up to good old military discipline."

"Speaking of," Naomi said walking around the table and curiously peeking over his shoulder, "What are you working on?"

"Ranger report to the Admiral," he answered, "It's not due for a few days yet, but I was going to spend today finishing it."

Desmond continued shoveling food in his mouth before saying, "You sure you don't want to reconsider? Naomi's got the day off and the rest of us were all planning on going out to Ala Moana Beach Park today. You wanna come too?"

"I'd love to... really," Cam protested, "But my report..."

"Can wait," Naomi said gently flipping his laptop closed, "Look outside Cam. It's a beautiful day out there. The sun is shining and there's lots of fun things to do instead of being cooped up in here all day with work that will still be here tomorrow."

Cam turned to Desmond hoping for some backup but the Red Ranger scratched his chin thoughtfully, "She's kinda right. Here in Hawaii, we sometimes like to take things a little slower and easier. Loosen up. Enjoy the surf and sun every once in a while, you know?"

"You guys don't understand," Cam argued in mild annoyance, "If I loosen up, people start getting lazy and things don't get done on the ship. That's when bad things begin to happen… or I get my ass kicked by the XO."

"Well, I don't see any commanding officers and you're not on a ship right now, are you?" Naomi challenged him patiently, "Besides, it'll be good for you to try blending in with the locals and adapting a little to the new laid back culture around you, don't you think? Who knows, you might learn a few new things too."

The Blue Ranger stared her down for a long moment before giving a reluctant sigh, conceding the point.

"All right. You win Naomi," he nodded, "What time do you want to start hitting the road?"

She grinned and grabbed his car keys off the table, tossing them to him, "As soon as Desmond finishes eating… and that this rate, it looks to be very soon."

* * *

Dark clouds continued to swirl about the small deserted island as the ancient sea witch Hine Nui looked out across the waves. That old sorcerer Kanohi had been more resourceful than she originally thought. The last few dark monsters she had sent to terrorize Oahu had all been defeated by the chosen heroes of that kahuna.

No matter. She had tried direct assaults, so now it was time to use more roundabout means. She would try to spy on her enemies and have her servants infiltrate the island to search for weaknesses. Fortunately, she had one such minion to do so. As Hine Nui continued to ponder on the beach, the form of a chameleon looking creature appeared from seemingly nowhere and gave a bow.

"You summoned me, my queen?"

"Yes Tuatara. I want you to go to the island. See if you can find any weaknesses in its defense, or if you can, spy on those meddling Ocean Rangers."

The chameleon creature lowered its head again before rising to its feet and heading off into the dark waters, "Yes my queen. It will be done."

* * *

It was about noontime when the Ocean Rangers arrived at Ala Moana Beach near downtown Honolulu and piled out of the car to enjoy a day at the popular beach park. Before they did, they decided to stop for some lunch at a small local restaurant with outdoor seating.

While they waited for their food to be served, Alex sat next to Cam at the table and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "On the way here, Desmond was telling me you were still adjusting a little bit to life on the island. I mean, I know it's only been about a month and you're still pretty new to the area, but don't worry... it just takes a little time."

The Blue Ranger gave a patient sigh toward his two housemates, "It's ok Alex, but thank you. Everything is fine... I'm just wondering why everyone else is suddenly so insistent that I start changing the way I approach everything when there haven't been any issues to begin with."

From across the table, David Hosokawa gave a kind smile and adjusted his glasses, "They mean well Cam. I think Desmond and Naomi are just doing it early to prevent any potential problems in the future. Besides, if it helps you to adjust by taking in some more of the local culture, we'll all help you do it. For starters, you'll love what I ordered everyone for lunch. It reminds me a little bit of a bento lunch back in Japan."

At that moment, the waitress brought out six plates of _loco moco_ , one of the state's popular contemporary lunch dishes. Cam looked down in dismay to see a mound of rice topped with cooked spam, a fried egg and brown gravy on top. He watched as the others dug into their plates enthusiastically before trying a few hesitant bites.

As much as he wanted to try and like it, it just wasn't right. In his mind, gravy, spam, and eggs did not mix, just like ham and pineapples were still odd toppings that probably didn't belong on pizza either.

Giving a discouraged sigh, he put down his fork and decided to forgo lunch today. As he did, Hannah gently poked his shoulder beside him, "Hey Cam, everything ok?"

"Sorry. I'm just not all that hungry right now."

"Oh... ok," Hannah shrugged, "Well, if you're not eating that, mind donating it to a starving college girl then?"

"Have at it kid," he replied as she quickly reached over and started swiping the food off his plate. While she did, he turned to see the waitress return with the lunch tab. As she wrote out the final total, the other Rangers held up their local ID's. After receiving the tab, Cam blinked and saw that his meal was the only one charged full price while everyone else was discounted.

"Whoah! Hey, what the hell is going on here?" he growled in outrage, "This must be wrong. I just got screwed over on the bill!"

Alex took the bill and examined it before saying to him, "Um, Cam? You do know about the _kama'aina_ rates, right?"

He remained silent as Hannah explained, "They're discounts offered to local residents at restaurants, hotels, and attractions so we don't get hosed like the tourists do. All you usually need is a residential ID."

From across the table, Desmond stifled a laugh, "Oh man... I'm sorry bud, but that's kinda funny. Especially considering what we had been talking about."

The Blue Ranger felt his face grow red in embarrassment as his five other friends began laughing loudly at his own expense. Giving another growl, he slapped some money on the table to pay for his meal before standing up and storming away to cool off.

* * *

As he took a short stroll through the nearby parks and left the commercialized corner, he began to feel a little calmer, but the heat of the noonday sun and his empty stomach still made him feel a little prickly and irritable. He had been having a quiet productive day until the others dragged him out and took him out of his comfort zone.

Maybe they were right in a sense by encouraging him to embrace the local food, culture, and customs more, but this was not the way he wanted to do it. Right now, part of him wished he was back on base… or hell, maybe even on a ship. At least life was routine there and he knew what to expect.

"Hey guy! What's wrong with you?" an irritated voice called out making Cameron stop abruptly.

The Blue Ranger turned and saw an older oriental man who may have also had some Hawaiian heritage run up and give his shin a swat with the push broom he was carrying. The angry man looked to be some sort of caretaker of the park based on the way he was dressed and he pointed in annoyance toward the nearby lawn with some large wooden tiki heads and stone carvings.

"Ow! What the hell?" Cam sputtered toward the older man.

"Didn't you know this lawn used to be the site of a shrine to the old gods? Trampling on this grass or disturbing the area is disrespectful to the ancestors. You tourists can't just walk around like you own the whole island, so don't do it!"

By now the Blue Ranger was running out of patience as he grudgingly walked off the grass and back onto the sidewalk. "Stupid island... and stupid people," he cursed irritably under his breath. As he began to walk off and leave the area, he stopped when he heard several people cry out in fright.

Turning around, Cam saw people fleeing as a squad of Night marcher zombies appeared and a large lizard monster resembling a chameleon reveled himself from a tree, dropping down, laughing at the chaos. Using its rotating eyes to scan its surroundings, Tuatara lashed its long whip-like tongue at fleeing civilians to drive them off before spotting the tiki shrine nearby. Giving a smile, Tuatara decided to start his rampage there, by desecrating a place set aside for Queen Hine Nui's ancient enemies.

As he began tramping across the lawn and approaching the shrine, Cameron ran over and stopped. He knew he had already been yelled at for trespassing on the grounds, but this was important. He had to do something and act before any more innocent people were hurt.

Charging onto the grounds, the Blue Ranger confronted the creature and called out a challenge, "Hey! Over here you bug eyed creep! Why don't you and Hine Nui get lost already!"

Tuatara stopped and turned on the Ranger with a derisive snort, "You're going to regret insulting me human. Either you're very brave, or very stupid."

"Oh, I'm no ordinary human," Cameron grinned reaching for his Ocean Bracer, "Point Break!"

To his shock, the glow of the coral bracelet flickered before sputtering out, leaving him completely powerless. Tuatara gave a mocking laugh, "What a joke… a tourist just trying to play hero. Nightmarchers! Get him!"

As the Nightmarchers attacked, Cameron reverted back to using self defense moves he had learned from his time at the Naval Academy and sparing with Marines he served with. Despite not being able to call his Ranger powers, he held his own against the foot soldiers and managed to block several attacks while delivering well placed counter blows.

To his relief, he suddenly saw four more colorful blurs join in the battle as his morphed Ranger teammates rushed in to help beat back the Nightmarchers. Taking a quick breath, Cam watched as Naomi and David outmaneuvered several of the zombies and overpowered them with grapples and arm throws the moment they let their guard down.

Glancing about the battlefield, the Blue Ranger stopped and panicked as he realized he lost sight of the lizard monster. It was nowhere to be seen. In an instant, he spotted movement from the ground as the outline of the monster appeared. It had changed color and used a camouflage ability to blend in with the surrounding grass to surprise the Ranger.

"Now I've got you!" Tuatara cackled lashing out his tongue like a whip. The Blue Ranger gasped and tried to knock the tongue away with a roundhouse kick, only to have his ankle snared. Giving his tongue a violent thrash, Tuatara easily tossed Cameron aside and hurled him straight into one of the nearby tikis, knocking it over.

As the monster began retracting its tongue back along the ground, it stopped as the Pink Ranger stamped down on it hard with her boot. "Hey! Don't you know it's impolite to stick your tongue out at people?" Alex called, restraining the monster long enough for Desmond and David to rush in, landing blows with their spear and club.

"This is getting out of hand Rangers. We'll tangle again some other time," Tuatara snarled diving into some nearby bushes and using his camouflage abilities again to try and escape.

"Hey! He's getting away!" Desmond shouted, "After him!"

While The Red, Green, and Pink Ocean Rangers gave chase to the fleeing chameleon monster, Cameron sat up in a daze and slowly rose to his feet. His head was still swimming after being thrown and he felt that the wind had been knocked out of him too. All in all, this was turning out to be a truly awful day and it only got worse.

"What have you done?" an angry voice cried in outrage, "Have you no respect?"

Cameron stopped as he saw the elder shrine caretaker rush over waving his sweeper and shouting angrily, "Look at this mess! I told you not to trespass! How could you? How could you show this much contempt for our old gods and our ways?"

"Sir, I'm sorry… there was a monster and…" Cam feebly answered catching the broom before it could hit him.

"Let go!" the old man cried, "You've done enough damage here you stupid _haole_. Leave now and don't come back!"

"Hey! That's enough!" came the voice of Naomi as she hurried over unmorphed to calm the commotion. She gave an apologetic look to the old man, practicing the island custom of always showing respect toward elders. Taking Cam's arm, she helped him regain his balance, "I'm so sorry for my friend sir. Please forgive him. I know you're upset, but there's no need to use that word either."

She was referring to the term _haole_. While he didn't quite know the exact meaning of the term, Cameron knew that it was a word sometimes used in a derogatory way by the people of the islands toward white non-hawaiians.

After getting beaten up then racially insulted, Cam was feeling angry and upset, but he couldn't argue either. Even if he didn't mean to, he had caused enough damage here and decided to cut his losses. Fitting in with the island ways was not working out how he had hoped at all.

As Naomi led him away from the park, he gently shrugged her hand off and turned back toward the nearby beach where Hannah was standing guard over their campsite.

"Hey… are you ok?" the Yellow Ranger asked in concern, "What happened back there?"

Cameron simply gave a dejected sigh as he headed toward the waters, "Sorry, but I don't really want to talk about it right now."

"Well… will you at least tell me where you're going?"

"The only person who can probably help at the moment," Cam replied grimly as he gestured toward the ocean waters, "I'm going to go see Kanohi."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Kama'aina: "child of the land" / people born on the land / long term resident of the island**

 **Tuatara: Maori word for "peaks on the back" / name of a New Zealand lizard**

 **Haole: Foreigner / individuals of European origin / sometimes used as a derogatory slur**


	8. Malama ka' Aina: Respect the Land

**Episode 4: Part 2  
**

Amid the sounds of distant waves and chirping birds around Ocean Point Temple, the lone Blue Ranger stood before the ancient tiki. "I don't understand Kanohi. What happened back there? My Ocean Bracer completely gave out on me and I couldn't morph."

The lights of Kanohi's eyes and mouth flickered gently as he spoke, "In order to use the Bracer's powers, your mind and your heart must be aligned with the purpose of this land."

Cameron frowned, "I'm sorry Kanohi… I still don't understand what you're getting at."

The ancient kahuna paused a moment before saying in a sage voice, "You Rangers draw your powers from the island and the natural forces of Creation which formed it. To do that, your hearts, minds, and bodies must be focused on preserving all that is good here. Your bodies are the vessels of the power, your hearts magnify it, and your wills are that which gives the power its shape. From what you have told me, it would seem you are not in the correct mindset."

"Well that's ridiculous," Cam argued, "I'm still willing to fight and risk myself here. After all, I don't want to see innocent people get hurt or for bad things to happen to this place."

"Nevertheless, there has been some disconnect between the powers of the island and what is in your heart. For some reason, you are not one with the land right now."

"After the day I've had, I'm not sure I was to begin with," Cam muttered sarcastically.

Kanohi's voice became deeper and more serious, "Without that connection and harmony with your surroundings, there is nothing more I can do to help you Cameron. I am sorry, but this is something you will have to solve for yourself."

The Blue Ranger sighed and headed for the temple spring, "Thanks anyway Kanohi, but I have no idea where to start. I'll just hope that Hine Nui's newest monster doesn't show his face until I figure this out... if I can figure it out."

With that, he dipped his Bracer in the water and teleported away.

* * *

That night, Cameron sat by himself at the outdoor bar of the Silver Marlin restaurant in Waikiki. It wasn't too crowded that evening and the surf was calm, filling the background with the steady but soothing sounds of the pounding waves.

"Hey there! You're looking a little glum there Lieutenant," came the friendly voice of the restaurant owner Bailey Hampshire. At that moment, he was glad to see Alex's friend and one of the few people who knew their Ranger secret too. The petite young Hawaiian woman gave a cheerful smile as she approached from behind the counter of the bar. "Thirsty?"

"Very," Cam sighed as Bailey mixed a strong whiskey drink into a tumbler and dropped a few ice cubes in.

"Rough day?" she asked curiously while cleaning a few other glasses.

"You have no idea," the Blue Ranger muttered taking a sip of the liquor, "I seem to be having a little trouble at work... if you know what I mean."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," Bailey nodded sagely, "Probably best you talk to someone about that huh?"

Cam looked up in surprise, "You actually want to talk about that... um, here?"

Bailey gave a gentle laugh and pointed toward the entrance of the open air restaurant, "Well, I would, but I was thinking maybe one of your coworkers would be better."

The Blue Ranger glanced over and spotted the familiar face of David enter and sit down beside him. The Green Ranger gave a kind smile as Cam took another drink and sighed, "Listen Doc, I know what you're about to ask, and before you do, the answer is I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle."

"Ah... I see," David said as Bailey brought him a drink too, "Actually, I was just going to ask if I could sit and join you... but you're still a horrible liar Cameron."

The Blue Ranger frowned as David sighed, "Trust me, I deal with patients every day who try to convince me that they're ok when they're really far from it. They can't fool me, and neither can you."

"So... what are you suggesting?"

David gave a calm smile and tipped his glass, "That we just sit and talk about it. We're friends here, right?"

For the next hour or so, the Blue Ranger told David about everything that happened during the day as well as the things that Kanohi spoke about earlier. When he finished, David sat back thoughtfully. "Hmm. That does sound like a tough spot."

"So I'm stumped right now. What am I supposed to do Doc?" Cam asked.

David scratched his chin, "Well, maybe you should make a genuine effort to connect to the spirit of this island and blend in. You might not always understand it, but embrace the culture and respect the land... _Malama ka' Aina_."

"Easier said than done," the younger Ranger groused. "David, let me ask you something. You were a military guy too. Didn't you have the same issues when you first came here?"

"Sure," David laughed, "In fact, that's why I came tonight. I know exactly how you feel and what you're going through. Listen, I know you're a real straight laced, by-the-book kind of guy. Nothing wrong with that at all. You bring those traits to the island and make the Rangers better for it."

He took a sip of his drink and continued, "But there are a lot of other ideas and good things about this island that you can also take in to make you a better person too. You can adapt and find harmony here, as long as you keep an open mind... just like I did."

Cameron stopped and swirled his drink around in thought. With a nod, he finished his tumbler and smiled, putting a hand on Dave's shoulder, "Thanks Dave. You just gave me a great idea... and I think I know where to start."

As Cameron left the bar, David leaned back in his seat and gave a satisfied smile into his own glass, "And now, the doctor is out."

* * *

The next morning, Cam made his way back to Ala Moana Beach Park and walked down the trails until he came across the lawn which had served as the Rangers' last battle ground. There he found the elder groundskeeper with another young Hawaiian man, presumably his son, struggling to lift the heavy wooden totem that had fallen the other day. As he approached hesitantly, the older man stopped and turned to him with a scowl, "Hey! I thought I told you to leave and never come back."

The Blue Ranger sighed and decided to take after Naomi, "Sir… please, just hear me out. I'm very sorry about trespassing and what happened yesterday. But you have to understand that I wanted to stop that monster from hurting not only the other people in the park, but these statues as well."

Gesturing to the fallen tiki, he motioned that he would help lift it back up to its original place, "If you'd let me, I'd like to start by helping to make things right again. Please?"

The groundskeeper eyed the Ranger for a long moment before his expression softened a little, "All right. You can help my son then."

Working together, the two young men pushed hard and managed to raise the tiki upright, turning it back into place on the lawn. As the two sat down to catch their breath, the elder groundskeeper nodded in satisfaction, "Thank you for returning with the offer to help…"

"Cameron," the Ranger answered extending a tentative hand.

The older groundskeeper paused a moment before taking his hand and shaking it in return, "I am sorry for shouting at you before, but you have to understand that these statues represent the 4 major gods of Hawaii, and how important they are to our people."

Cam looked over the statues thoughtfully before giving the older man a sincere look, "Um, if it's not too much to ask, would you be willing to tell me more about them?"

The groundskeeper stopped as a slow smile crossed his face and he gestured to the tiki they had fixed, "This is the mighty sea god Kanaloa…"

* * *

Meanwhile, across the island, the chameleon monster Tuatara was busy scouting the coastline for places Hine Nui's monsters could hide in the future. While he would much rather be terrorizing the human towns and cities, this was still an important job that had to be done. As he left his camouflaged position by the forested sea cliffs, he stopped as a red tribal knife was thrown and stuck into the ground in front of him.

As the monster paused, he was surprised by a blinding flash of sunlight and the morphed Pink Ocean Ranger appeared, sending him flying backwards with a jump kick.

"We finally tracked you down," Alex said triumphantly as Desmond recovered his knife and joined her.

"I'm almost impressed," Tuatara sneered calling a squad of Nightmarchers to aid him, "But only two of you? Don't either you have better things to do?"

Desmond smiled, "That's the beauty of having jobs with really flexible hours. Ready Alex?"

"Let's do it!" Alex grinned and summoned her coral knuckle dusters, dashing forward to meet the foot soldiers head on.

* * *

Meanwhile at the beach park, Cam made his way back to his car after having been given a lengthy history lesson in ancient Hawaiian theology by the groundskeeper. It made him feel glad to make amends with the locals and he had to admit, learning some of that lore was kind of interesting too. Whatever it would take to find harmony with the island, this was definitely a good start.

To his surprise, his coral bracelet began to glow as he heard Kanohi's voice, "Cameron, Desmond and Alex have found Hine Nui's monster. They're going to need your help."

Looking down to the blue coral gem, noticed it had begun to resonate again and glow a gentle blue. That was a good sign. "Don't worry Kanohi, I'm on my way."

* * *

As the battle raged atop the wooded sea cliffs, Alex used her agility to gracefully weave through her clumsy enemies, ducking their blows and delivering hard counter punches. As she moved, she used her own talent and skill at dancing to quickly outmaneuver her foes and line three of them up at once, defeating them with a follow up spin kick.

"Nice moves Alex! My turn now," Desmond called drawing his spear and leveling it at the monster. To his shock, Tuatara opened his mouth and snapped his sticky tongue out, grabbing the spear and trying to pull it from the Red Ranger's grip.

As Desmond struggled to hold his spear against the pull of the chameleon's tongue, a familiar figure rushed into battle and brought his Ocean dagger around. Tuatara screamed as the Blue Ranger slid under his outstretched tongue and slashed the end of it, causing him to let up on Desmond's spear.

"Back off you freaky gecko! I've got a score to settle with you!"

"Cam! You made it," Alex called out in relief, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

The Blue Ranger smiled and raised his Ocean Bracer which now began to glow with a vibrant blue light, "I've got the whole island behind me now. I know I can do this."

In a flash, Cameron morphed and charged forward calling his shark saber while on the move. Desmond and Alex watched as the Blue Ranger swung his blade furiously to keep the monster off-balance and on the defensive. As Tuatara took a pummeling and fell back from the sudden onslaught, he rotated an eyeball to see that he had been forced back against the edge of the sea cliff.

As Cam advanced again and attacked, Tuatara brought his tail around like a whip, hoping to ward off the Ranger and maintain some room on the cliff. Instead, the Blue Ranger tumbled over the tail strike and tackled the monster, sending them both off the cliff and into the waters below.

"Damn! What is he thinking?" Desmond gasped in astonishment as he and Alex rushed to the cliff edge to see what happened.

"Let's head down to the beaches below," Alex said in concern reaching for her Bracer, "I think we'd better call the others too."

While the Red and Pink Rangers made their way down the cliff, Cam and Tuatara plunged into the deep blue waters. Now that Tuatara was away from the trees, bushes, and hiding places of the forest, he couldn't get away or use his camouflage abilities. On the other hand, Cameron was now in his element and his own blue Ranger suit naturally matched that of the waters. Now he was beginning to blend in with his environment... with the island itself.

Tuatara thrashed blindly in the water trying to orient himself and find his enemy, but it was no use. Amid a storm of bubbles, the Blue Ocean Ranger let the powerful current carry him, and he moved freely and quickly through the water, landing powerful slashes with his blade.

"You can't do this!" the chameleon cried feebly as Cam charged his blade for a finishing strike and surged toward the enemy.

Like Desmond had done with his flaming spear, the Blue Ranger brought his glowing blade around and hammered the helpless monster with a watery strike that packed the punch of a surging tidal wave.

By now, Naomi and David had arrived and joined Desmond and Alex on the beach under the sea cliffs. As they watched curiously, a powerful geyser erupted from the ocean waters startling them. A few long minutes passed before they saw the Blue Ocean Ranger emerge from the waters and power down. While the girls gave relieved sighs, Desmond cheered and waved his arms enthusiastically. "That... was... awesome!"

As Cameron emerged from the surf, completely soaked, he caught the smile of David who stood quietly and simply gave him a thumbs up. Cam grinned and returned the gesture to his friend before looking to the others tiredly. "I don't know about you guys, but I could use a change of clothes and a hot meal right now. Any takers?"

* * *

That evening, the Ocean Rangers gathered at the Silver Marlin in Waikiki for a late dinner to celebrate their recent victory over Hine Nui. After being served by Bailey, the other Rangers sat at the table laughing and recounting the events of the battle to Hannah, when they stopped and realized Cam had fallen strangely silent. Turning in surprise, they saw him chowing down on a large bowl of _poke_ , Hawaiian seafood salad made with raw seasoned fish slices.

"Oh… uh, sorry everyone," the Blue Ranger smiled sheepishly, "I just took a bite of this stuff and couldn't get enough. It's delicious!"

Desmond laughed aloud and gave his fellow Ranger a friendly elbow, "You like the _poke_ , huh? Lucky for you that your roommate's a fisherman then."

From across the table, Alex smiled and gave a chuckle "So Cam, does this mean that you're ready to go full native on us?"

Cam grinned and quickly plucked the pineapple garnish off Hannah's cocktail glass next to him. Popping the fruit into his mouth, he gave a laugh while Hannah sputtered in surprise and annoyance before giving him a mild shove, "Baby steps Alex… baby steps."

After the next round of laughter died down at the table, Cam looked to the Yellow Ranger across the table, "Naomi, before I forget… I was also meaning to ask you about what that groundskeeper called me before… a _haole_."

Naomi stopped and gave a genuinely surprised look, "Oh? What about it?"

"Well, if I'm going to integrate more around here, then it's important that I pay more attention to the language and culture… so I understand what things mean, you know?"

The others turned to Naomi as she gave a thoughtful look, then smiled. "Well, you already know that the word refers to white foreigners and is sometimes used in a negative way."

She rose from her seat and circled around the table, "There are lots of popular beliefs about where the word came from, but many claim that it also means no-breath."

"No breath?" David asked curiously, "How does that relate?"

Naomi gave the others a smile and approached Cameron, gently placing her hands on his cheeks, "The white foreigners who came to the island did not know or use the _honi_ , the Polynesian way of greeting one another. It's done by touching nose to nose with someone else and then you both inhale, sharing each other's breath, or life essence."

Leaning in close, she touched her nose to Cameron's and inhaled deeply, causing him to gasp more in surprise. As she pulled away, she headed back to her seat calmly and sat down, "So that's why the native people referred to the European foreigners as having no-breath."

"No kidding… I'm feeling a little breathless myself right now," a red faced Cameron answered, earning another round of laughter from the others at the table.

Amid the teasing, the Blue Ranger couldn't help but smile back. Like before, he was feeling a little embarrassed while his friends laughed at him, but it was a good kind of laughter now... one that he was sure there would be much more of in the future. But if that would be the kind of laughter he could expect from now on, then it would be one that he would welcome freely.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Just like Cameron in this story, I've been having a lot of fun learning all sorts of new things about the culture, the myths, and language of Hawaii and Polynesia. While I am taking some minor creative liberties, hopefully you readers are also enjoying it and maybe learning some new things too. :)**

 **To answer one of the guest review questions, don't worry. Zords will be on the way as well as some cool new Ranger vehicles. Not necessarily shark themed, but definitely oceanic in nature. Until then!**


	9. Kumu Hula: Teacher of Hula

**Episode 5: Part 1  
**

Late morning sunlight streamed in through the windows of the dance studio as the steady beat of the drums sounded. Alexandra Coach began to move about the large empty studio putting herself in what almost looked like a trance. She stepped in time with the pulse of the traditional Hawaiian music using quick choppy movements to express the element of fire in her hula dance.

In a smooth transition, she shifted her stance and watched her reflection in the studio mirrors. Amid the reflected light, she used graceful flowing arm movements to represent the waves and the water along the coastline. Alex continued to move to the music, now swaying her upper body like the wind before bending her legs and taking a more grounded stance becoming like the earth. As the drums and music reached its crescendo, the thoughts that the Pink Ranger had been holding back all month suddenly bubbled up again.

The thoughts of her parents, the memories of leaving home, and the grief of her brother and sister welled up once more. The anniversary of their parents' deaths was coming up later in the week and she always dreaded that day. That moment of distraction cost Alex as she made a misstep and stumbled over her own feet.

The Pink Ocean Ranger pitched forward and fell over on the wooden floor as the music ended. As she sat on the floor rubbing her knees in pain, she gave a deep sigh of frustration. It was no use. She couldn't concentrate at all and choreograph her newest dance right now. There was still something missing from her routine and she couldn't figure it out yet. In this state, she doubted she'd be able to any time soon.

Moments later, she heard a knock at the door and several young girls peeked their heads in. "Um... Miss Coach? Are you here? It's time for dance practice!"

Alex took a deep breath to calm herself and put on a warm inviting smile to the children. Today she was going to start teaching the girls some basic hula dance steps, "Come on in girls. I was just stretching out first."

As the girls excitedly filed in and began their own stretching, Alex rose to her feet. At least with the kids here she was grateful for the nice distraction. For now, there was work to be done so she would do her best to focus on the present.

* * *

Hannah Johnson smiled as she made her way up the beachline toward the home of her three Ranger friends. She noted that the skies were clear and bright, and the surf was gentle today, perfect for swimming. Upon reaching the rear of the house, the blonde teen looked around until she spotted the Red Ocean Ranger Desmond Waihee standing on the deck of his sailboat named Luna. The small fishing ship was moored in a little beach inlet near the house and Hannah climbed up the rope ladder draped along the side of the boat.

To her surprise, she saw Desmond standing in front of a canvas busy at work painting a picture. It was a simple painting of a coastline, but it was still very colorful and cheerful, just like its creator.

"Hey Desmond! That's a beautiful picture," she called walking over, "I didn't know you painted."

Desmond turned and gave a cheerful grin to his younger friend, "Hey! Thanks Hannah! It's always kinda been a hobby of mine when I'm not too busy. It helps me to unwind... and make a few extra bucks at local art fairs too."

Hannah chuckled and walked closer, examining the painting, "Are you the only one here today?"

The Red Ranger examined his picture for a moment and made some broad brush strokes on the waters, "Yup. Naomi dragged Cam out to go grocery shopping with her earlier. Is something wrong?"

Hannah shrugged, "Well, I was just wondering if Alex stopped by here. I haven't seen or heard much from her this week and I wondered if maybe something was bothering her."

Desmond continued to paint in a calm, carefree manner, "Ah, I see. You think maybe an Ocean Ranger should check up on her then?"

"If it's not too much trouble..." Hannah admitted sheepishly.

Desmond finished the painting with a satisfied smile and turned to her, "I'd be happy to help. Come with me. I'll give you a lift back into the city."

The two hopped off the side of the boat into the shallow waters as Desmond activated his red coral bracelet.

"Wait... what about your painting?" Hanna asked in surprise.

Desmond shrugged and took her wrist, "You can have it when it dries later. You ready?"

Dipping the bracer in the water, the two were whisked back toward the nearby city of Honolulu on their search for the Pink Ranger.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the phantom island near Oahu, the ancient sea witch Hine Nui walked through the undergrowth while examining the vegetation of the area. Her dark eyes scanned the ground until they found what she was looking for. A small cruel smile curled on her black lips as she extended her pale bony fingers and grasped the chunk of rare fungi.

Hine Nui raised the fungus and began to cast a spell, chanting in a horrible guttural sounding language. As a sickly purple glow emanated from the fungus, it expanded quickly and took the form of an ugly hulking creature. Its malformed body was made of dark fungus and lacked symmetry while two bulging eyes looked around in confusion at the creature's newfound sentience.

"Thallus, I've summoned you to serve me," Hine Nui said lovingly stroking the large fungi creature's hand. "You are a creature of decay... one that will bring ruin and rot to the life on Oahu. Do you understand?"

The creature named Thallus glanced at its spongy hands and nodded.

"Good," Hine Nui laughed as she gestured toward the coastline, "Now go. Spread your taint on the land and lead the way for my second coming."

The creature nodded and lumbered off toward the dark waters while the terrifying sounds of the sea witch's laugh echoed in the air behind it.

* * *

Later that day, Alex finished teaching her class and saw them out the door with a smile. Once the children left, the Pink Ranger sighed and tied her brown hair back up into a ponytail. To her surprise, she found her older brother Isaac waiting in the lobby entrance. He was a tall man who shared Alex's features, light brown hair and blue eyes. He was also dressed in his Navy service clothes and stood at patient attention.

"Hey sis," Isaac said coming over to give her a hug and kiss on the forehead, "What's up?"

"Isaac? What are you doing here?" Alex exclaimed, "I mean, I'm glad to see you and all..."

Her brother gave a gentle smile, "I was just stopping in to remind you about this weekend. You're still planning to meet Evelyn and I for the memorial service?"

Alex sighed and nodded, "Yeah... I'll be there."

"Hey, it's ok Alex. I miss them too," Isaac said giving his little sister another quick hug, "But don't worry. Your sister and I will both be at your dance exhibition the next day. I promise we'll all go out and do something fun then, ok?"

Again Alex tried to put on a good face and waved goodbye as her brother left to go back to duty at Pearl Harbor. After he departed, the Pink Ranger stepped back into the empty dance studio and restarted the music. She didn't have a lot of time and she still had a lot of work left to do on her dance.

As she started going through the motions of the hula again, she tried to let her mind drift and let the music take her away. It was how she always coped before, but for some reason it was harder and harder today. No matter what she did, her heart was feeling sad and weighted down. She shifted her feet and turned her head to examine her posture in the studio mirror when she stopped in surprise. Desmond's reflection stood in the doorway with a puzzled look and Alex stopped, turning around toward her fellow Ocean Ranger.

"Oh... hey Alex," Desmond said apologetically, "I'm sorry I interrupted. I just came by looking for you... you know, to see how you were doing."

The Pink Ranger lowered her arms and glanced down at the ground. To Desmond's surprise, her lip began to quiver and she broke down into tears.

"Oh no... please don't cry..." Desmond said in alarm, "Gosh, I don't even know what I did yet."

Giving a sigh, the Red Ranger closed the studio door and walked over to try and comfort his friend, "And here I always thought I had the opposite effect on women."

* * *

A little while later, Desmond and Alex sat at a local outdoor café having a glass of iced tea. By now, the Pink Ranger had settled down and wiped her eyes as she took a sip of her cold drink.

"I'm really sorry about all that back there Desmond. I didn't mean to lose it in front of you."

The Red Ranger shrugged, "Really, it's no big deal Alex. To be totally honest with you, I'll get emotional and cry about stuff every once in a while too."

She raised a questioning eyebrow before he gave an embarrassed look and spoke quietly, "Just don't tell Cam or Naomi. I'm the Red Ranger, so I've got an image to maintain, you know?"

Alex gave a weak chuckle and nodded, "Ok. Fair enough."

"So, you said you were upset about the anniversary of your parents' death?" Desmond prompted her.

The Pink Ranger nodded again, "I always get this away around the time of the year. I still remember how sudden it had all been when my parents died in that car accident. I know my older brother and sister don't want to admit it, but it was hard on all of us... it still is sometimes, even after we left Minnesota and came here to live with my aunt."

After a long pause, Alex continued, "I guess it doesn't make things any easier when I've got a big dance exhibition the day after the memorial. I've been trying to choreograph a new dance for the event, but I just can't focus and finish it."

"It looked like a hula," Desmond pointed out taking a sip of his drink.

"Yes," Alex replied, "I was asked to do a dance in the traditional style, or hula _kahiko_. I'm kinda struggling a little with it because I'm more used to the more modern hula _auna_."

The Red Ranger scratched his chin thoughtfully, "Well, from what I learned growing up... traditional hula was more of a sacred dance and chant where the movements often represented feelings, words in a story, or parts of nature. Maybe if you tapped into the dance's feelings or words, you might get some inspiration?"

"That's just it," Alex mumbled, "I have been, but when I really start feeling it, I get all emotional again and keep losing my focus."

"Hmm, is there anything I can do to help?" Desmond asked.

Alex shook her head, "No, that's ok. Just sitting down and listening has been a help, so thank you."

Desmond took another long sip of his iced tea and mused, "At least this solves the mystery. You've been holed up in your dance studio this whole time. Hannah came by earlier asking about you. She was kinda worried because you haven't been around much lately."

"I guess you're right," Alex admitted, "I probably should give her a call and let her know everything is ok."

As she pulled out her pink phone, she gave another little smile, "At least we were able to deal with this without a monster attack, right?"

She spoke too soon as her Ocean Bracer glowed, signaling trouble. Desmond raised an eyebrow as Alex groaned, "Me and my big mouth. Looks like Hine Nui's at it again."

Without a second thought, the Red and Pink Rangers rose from the café and quickly hurried off to help their fellow Rangers.

* * *

Across the city, the other three Ocean Rangers had already intercepted the slow lumbering fungi creature. While Cam and David blocked the monster's fists with their Ocean Daggers, Naomi sprung forward and delivered a flying jump kick into the head of Thallus. To her surprise, the dark spongy creature's flesh absorbed the force of the attack and pushed back. Fortunately, the Yellow Ranger was able to recover in time and did a graceful backflip off of her kick.

David and Cam looked equally surprised and decided to back off, with the Green Ranger pushing the monster's arm away and the Blue Ranger slashing underneath the creature's arm with his dagger. While the three Rangers regrouped, they watched as the monster's wound instantly stitched itself back up. The dark spongy flesh knitted together and looked good as new.

"Wow... how fascinating," David exclaimed while stopping to stare in genuine curiosity.

Having recovered from the attack, Thallus touched its hands to a tall palm tree nearby and caused it to become withered and discolored. To the Rangers' surprise, the dead tree toppled forward and the three tumbled out of the way.

"Ok... that's pretty messed up," Cam muttered in dread while staring at the remains of the once vibrant palm tree.

Meanwhile, Thallus began to puff itself up as Naomi summoned her serrated hand clubs, "Stand back guys. I've got this one."

"Wait! Naomi, don't!" Cam called but it was too late. Thallus convulsed and released a great spore cloud at the Rangers while Naomi began to make a twirling motion for an elemental Wind attack. The wind caught the sudden spore cloud and blew it everywhere, causing plants around the park to wither while also catching the Rangers in the stinging cloud. Cam, Naomi, and David choked and sputtered as they felt the stinging spores weaken them.

Moments later, their two other friends arrived on the scene to help. Desmond raised his Ocean Bracer quickly, "Ok Alex, let's give em a hand. Point Break!"

In a wave of colorful energy, the Red and Pink Rangers morphed while on the run and charged in to drive the fungi monster back. Alex was the first to strike, using her speed and agility to dodge the monster's attacks and batter it with her coral knuckle dusters.

As the lumbering monster took broad swings at her, Alex reverted to using her dance steps to outmaneuver her slower opponent. But as she did, the motions of her dancing brought back everything that had happened earlier that day and for a split second, she froze. Thallus raised its hands to catch her in its withering, life stealing grip but a blast of fire struck it from the side.

Desmond stepped in with his blazing spear and doused the creature in another jet of fire to drive it back. Looking down at it's body, Thallus noticed the spots Alex had weakened from her blows were further damaged by the Red Ranger's fire attacks.

Giving a furious groan, the fungi brute released another blinding spore cloud and temporarily retreated from the battlefield.

As the spore cloud subsided, Alex relaxed her stance and continued to stand in place, upset at letting the creature get away, and more upset at herself for freezing up in battle. Nearby, Desmond hurried over to help the others while they powered down. To her relief, they looked to be quickly recovering from the effects of the monster's debilitating spores. It was also fortunate their Ranger suits had protected them as the nearby plant life around the park had begun to wither and turn a sickly black color.

"Are you ok Alex?" David said in concern, snapping the Pink Ranger back to attention.

"Oh... yeah. I'm fine."

The Green Ranger put a gentle hand on her shoulder and tilted his head, "Come on. We're going to go see Kanohi and try to figure out what just happened. Are you coming?"

Alex reluctantly nodded and followed behind him as the rest of the Rangers headed back toward the waters and teleported away to Ocean Point Temple.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_

 _ **Hula: Traditional style of dancing from the Hawaiian Islands accompanied by chanting (oli) or song (mele). Dances were used as part of sacred rituals, regular celebrations, or entertainment for chieftains.**_

 _ **Kahiko: Traditional or ancient hula using traditional chants and instruments**_

 _ **Auna: "To wander" or "To drift" / refers to a more modern style of hula with Western influences and instruments**_


	10. Maluhia: Peace

**Episode 5: Part 2  
**

Upon entering the ruins of Ocean Point Temple, the five Rangers stood before the tiki idol Kanohi and told him of their latest encounter with the sea witch's newest servant.

"What we found most troubling was its ability to make living things decay," David explained. "If it can cause such a big palm tree to wither and die immediately, then think what that thing can do to a normal human."

The ancient kahuna sat with glowing eyes, pondering over the words before speaking, "Remember that Hine Nui is a demigoddess whose powers reflect death and decay. It would seem that she's going for a more indirect attack and causing the island to slowly rot, rather than destroying it outright."

"How are we supposed to counter that fungus thing's powers Kanohi?" Cam asked, "Our normal weapons didn't seem to do much good hurting it either."

The tiki's eyes burned with a steady glow, "In the days of old, when brave koa warriors found themselves against great odds, they would often beseech the aid of the divine beings of this island."

Naomi's eyes went wide in disbelief, "Wait a minute... are you suggesting we pray to the old gods of Hawaii or something? I thought they were just myths."

"No one knows for certain whether it was the old gods or the magic powers of Creation," Kanohi answered, "During the time of my tribe, the warriors who fought Hine Nui made use of several powerful rituals... one of which may be helpful now. It's called the Blessing of Laka."

Desmond frowned, thinking back to stories his mother told him, "Laka? As in the old goddess of hula and the forests?"

"Yes," the tiki said, "Laka was revered as a goddess of growth and vegetation who helped bring life to this island with her ties to the nourishing elements of rain and light. Perhaps it is through some connection to Laka that you draw your own elemental power of Sunlight, Alexandra."

Everyone turned to the Pink Ranger a moment making her feel a little self conscious. While she shied away, Cam crossed his arms with a pensive look, "All right. The question becomes, how do we call on Laka's power to help us? What sort of ritual are we looking at?"

"It must be a hula dance," Alex responded quickly which surprised everyone, "She is a patron deity of the dance and many prayers are given to her through hula."

"That is correct," Kanohi said, "Through an offering of your dance, you may be able to tap into her rejuvenating powers."

"So it's up to me then?" Alex said hesitantly while the rest of her teammates glanced back toward her.

"Unless any of our resident Hawaiians know how to hula," David shrugged, "For starters, Kanohi has no arms or legs to speak of, so he's out."

"Sorry," Naomi sighed shaking her head, "I never had the patience to learn hula when I was younger."

Desmond quickly nodded in agreement, "Don't look at me. I suck at hula dancing too."

"I guess that settles it," Cam sighed, "Alex, we'll leave you to it. The rest of us will just have to stand guard in case that rotten mushroom thing shows up again."

As the Pink Ranger followed the others back to the temple well spring to teleport back to Honolulu, she took one last look toward the fading embers in Kanohi's eyes before making her way home too.

* * *

The next day, Alex returned to the dance studio after her college classes and began to practice again. While the Pink Ranger went through the motions of her dance, she struggled to come up with a way to finish the dance. If she was going to invoke this so called Blessing from Laka, then she'd need to offer something truly unique and special.

Finally, she gave a great sigh and plopped down on the floor at a complete loss. It was times like this she wished her parents were around so that she could ask for some guidance.

Instead, she heard the door open and both Desmond and Hannah entered.

"Hey Alex! How's your magic dance coming?" Hannah asked hopefully as she ambled out on the floor.

"Not as well as I'd like," Alex sighed blowing aside a strand of brown hair from her face. "The others didn't come along too?"

Desmond shook his head as he leaned casually on a side wall, "They're out on patrol keeping a lookout for that monster."

The Pink Ranger watched him for a moment before speaking again, "Desmond… can I ask you a personal question? You said you lost your parents when you were younger too, right?"

A slight shadow crossed the Red Ranger's face before he nodded quietly.

"How did you cope with it and learn to move on? You always seem to be so happy and carefree."

Desmond thought for a moment and scratched his chin, "Well… like you, I was the youngest child, and I also had a creative outlet. I painted pictures of things that made me happy… just like how you use your dancing. I guess sometimes when I think about it, I still get sad, but I don't let it bother me too long."

Alex gave him a questioning look, prompting him to explain further.

"When I remember that I've got a bunch of siblings and extended family still here, I don't feel as bad. I know they're there for me if I need it."

Hannah nodded and put an encouraging hand on Alex's shoulder, "Just like me and Desmond and all your other Ranger friends are here for you too. They're good people and I think you know they care about you too, right?"

Alex stopped and thought a moment. Hannah was right. She had been spending a lot of time dwelling on the people who weren't in her life anymore and not realizing just how many new caring people there were now. Aside from Isaac and Evelyn, her Rangers friends were very important right now, perhaps more than ever at the moment. She couldn't let them down and that dawning feeling of togetherness gave her a brainstorm.

"Thanks Hannah. I think you and Desmond just gave me a great idea for what my dance needs…"

She was cut off as the coral stones in her and Desmond's Ocean Bracers glowed. From the other end, they heard David's voice, "Heads up everyone. We've got trouble."

Alex quickly rose to her feet and headed for the studio door, "Come on. We've got to help the others."

"But what about the hula?" Hannah asked in confusion, "Are you sure you know what you're going to do? Or if it will even work?"

The Pink Ranger shook her head, "No, but I'm going to try anyway. Desmond?"

Hannah could only stand in the studio watching in concern as her two friends raced outside to try and help the other Ocean Rangers in the coming battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hine Nui's fungus creature Thallus had returned to the beach-fronts of Honolulu spreading rot and decay to the local plant life with its withering touch. Flanking the monster were a pack of undead Nightmarcher soldiers escorting it. While local residents began to flee from the sight of the monsters, Thallus stopped upon the withered ground as it came face to face with the morphed Green Ocean Ranger.

"I don't like to harm wildlife, but in your case I'll make an exception," David called out while a morphed Cam and Naomi stepped beside him.

Turning to the Green Ranger, Cam asked, "Dave, think you can hold that thing off for a minute while Naomi and I take out the grunts?"

David summoned his great war club with a nod, "Let's give Alex as much time as she needs."

While he sprinted forward and began to put the monster on the defensive, the Blue and Yellow Rangers charged in and knifed through the Nightmarchers with their Ocean Daggers. As they tumbled through and used teamwork to block and counter the enemy blows, they charged their sidearms with elemental power.

The two Ranger locked their wrists for a moment and made a swift twirling motion together to combine the elements of wind and water. As they finished their motion and let go of each other, Cam and Naomi let loose a small hurricane burst that swept all the foot soldiers away at once.

Nearby, David grunted as he swung his heavy club again and the monster caught it, pushing back. To his relief, David heard Desmond's voice call out, "Clear out Dave! Help is here!"

The morphed Red Ranger leapt forward and warded off the creature with his flaming Ocean Dagger, letting the other three regroup for another attack.

Before they could react, Thallus slammed both hands to the ground and sent a wave of withering dark energy forward on the four Rangers. They were caught completely off guard and staggered from the stunning wave of necrotic power. While they let their guards down momentarily, Thallus puffed up its body again and let loose another concentrated dark spore cloud that exploded over the Ocean Rangers and threw them to the turf.

Before the monster could celebrate, it turned as it heard one more voice call out, "Hey fungus brain. Over here!"

A morphed Alex calmly walked forward and called her coral knuckle weapons. "You must think you're pretty tough. But can you keep up with me?"

"Alex! What are you doing?" Naomi sputtered while struggling to rise, "You can't take that thing on your own."

The Pink Ocean Ranger turned her head to her friends for a moment, "Just sit tight everyone. I have a feeling Laka will be on our side for this one."

She pounded her fists together and rushed forward faking an attack and tumbling under the fungi creature's opening swing. Having maneuvered under her enemy's guard, Alex began to combine her fighting style with her new hula again. This time, she danced with a focused purpose and reverence for the ritual in her heart. Thallus roared as she struck first like a raging fire with a quick explosive string of punches.

The moment the monster turned and tried to swat her away, Alex shifted her stance and imitated flowing water to roll off the creature's attacks and use its own momentum against it. Thallus began growing frustrated as it took another broad swing, but the Pink Ranger easily dodged it and twirled around the blows as if carried on the winds.

Finally, she took a moment to ground her stance before Thallus whirled around to grab her with its life draining touch. As the monster did, Alex finished her dance and raised her hands skyward to offer her dance to the heavens. To her surprise, her hula resonated with her own elemental power and a bright orb of sunlight was summoned to her hands.

The monster recoiled as Alex felt the bright glowing orb of sacred sunlight resonate with life giving energy. She had done it. She now had a means to counter the fungus creature and help her friends at the same time with Laka's Blessing.

With one motion, Alex let go of the light and let it burst outward, filling the area with rejuvenating power. Thallus groaned in pain as the light of Laka's blessing countered its decaying powers and severely weakened its body. Nearby, Alex watched in amazement as the magic sunlight restored the dead patches of vegetation around her as well as re-energized the other poisoned Rangers on the ground. As they regrouped around her, Cam gave a grateful nod, "Way to go Alex! We owe you one."

The Pink Ranger turned toward the fungus monster as it staggered and weakly fell to its knees, unable to heal itself anymore, "Now's our chance everyone. Let's put this guy away."

As she raised her fist, the Pink Ranger led the charge on the now vulnerable monster delivering a hammering punch, followed by a rain of blows from the other Ranger's weapons. Charging up one more attack, Alex filled her coral knuckles with elemental sunlight and delivered a knockout blow that caused the monster to explode into a cloud of dark swirling smoke. As the smoke cleared, Alex lowered her fists and gave a satisfied nod, "That one was for you Mom and Dad."

After a long pause, Desmond asked hesitantly, "So Alex... what now?"

The Pink Ocean Ranger thought for a minute before leading the others from the battlefield with a smile, "Simple. I've still got a little more dance practicing to do."

* * *

Later that week, on the day of the exhibition, Alex stood on the outdoor stage of the pavilion facing a large crowd in front of the microphone. Like many of the other dancers and groups who also came to perform at the open city plaza that day, she was dressed in a costume. The Pink Ranger wore a green grass skirt as well as leafy wristbands and anklets. Around her neck was a colorful lei and a crown of bright pink flowers atop her head.

It was a warm and beautiful Sunday morning and as she looked out over the crowd, she could see her siblings Isaac and Evelyn, as well as Hannah and all her Ranger friends who had come to cheer her on. In that moment, she was no longer sad or worried like she had been earlier that week. Her parents might have been gone, but there were still many people here right now that loved and cared about her. It was because of that fact she was able to finish her dance, as well as help her fellow Ocean Rangers when they needed her most. Now that she knew she could do it, she was determined to be strong for them.

"Today, I'm going to perform a hula in the traditional style. The dance represents the union of five elements in nature and I want to thank some of my friends in the crowd who helped inspire me to come up with it. It's a piece I named Lokahi... which means Unity."

As the music began, Alex began to dance with a freedom and lightness in her heart that she hadn't felt in a long time. While she did a variation of the same dance she used in battle, she took a moment to think of each of her new Ranger friends while imitating their elements with her movements. She went through the powerful motions of volcanic fires to the steady flowing gestures of the water. With a smile, she swayed like a palm tree in the winds before stooping low to the firm earth. With a last flourish, she raised her hands to the bright skies and gestured as if spreading the sunlight back down toward the crowd who applauded enthusiastically in reply.

After departing the stage and returning to her friends, she was caught in a group hug from her two siblings. "Alex! That was great!" Evelyn laughed, "I'm really proud."

While the Pink Ranger smiled sheepishly, she caught Desmond giving a warm smile and a thumbs up from the side. Nearby, she could also hear Cam and Hannah were already beginning a petty argument over where everyone should go eat later with Naomi playing referee and trying not to laugh too much.

To her surprise she also turned to see David approach with a small gift bouquet of flowers for her performance.

"I know you've already got plenty of flowers on your person… but I thought a few more couldn't hurt either," David said handing her the bouquet with a slightly bashful expression.

"Oh! Thanks Dave… that's so sweet of you," Alex replied with a warm smile.

As she took a happy sniff of the fresh flowers, she took a moment to look up to the shining sun above. She couldn't be certain whether the ancient Hawaiian goddess Laka was really there, or if she was even listening. Still, the Pink Ranger offered one last silent prayer of thanks for the presence of her family, her friends, and most importantly, a renewed peace of mind.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**  
 ** _One recent reviewer made a great observation that there's been a lot of heart to heart talks and interpersonal moments between the heroes of this series. This is actually done on purpose as the central themes of PR Oceania are the ideas of Friendship and Family._**

 ** _Each of the six main characters have such different backgrounds and unique personalities, yet they all share a connection to the island and the life of being Power Rangers now. It's my aim to emphasize the growth of their bonds and their connection to each other as the true source of this team's strength. Thanks for reading everyone!  
_**


	11. Keiki: Child

**Episode 6: Part 1  
**

It had been another busy Saturday morning doing dive tours and Hannah Johnson walked down the sidewalk away from the marina while shaking out the last water droplets from her blonde hair with one hand. In her other hand, she held her cell phone, carrying on a casual conversation with her mother.

"I'm glad both school and work have been going well for you dear," Mrs. Johnson said, "But what about tonight? Any big plans to unwind?"

Hannah shrugged and glanced up to the bright warm sun in the sky, "I'm not totally sure yet. I was maybe going to swing by the Silver Marlin in Waikiki to see if any of the others are there tonight."

"Oh, you mean that older crowd of friends you've been telling us about?" her mother asked hesitantly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hannah frowned, speaking with a slightly defensive tone, "So they're all a couple years older than me. What's the big deal? Alex is one of them and you like her."

Of course Hannah couldn't tell her mother she was friends with a team of adult Power Rangers, but it didn't exactly help her case either.

"Nothing is wrong with that dear," Mrs. Johnson said, "It's just that your father and I sometimes worry that you aren't making enough friends here that are your own age... that's all."

"Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore and I've been fine living off base by myself too. I'm allowed to make friends with who I want, so I wish you and Dad wouldn't worry so much, ok?"

"I know sweetie. We just want you to be careful. You'll be by to visit on Sunday for brunch?"

Hannah rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, "Yeah Mom. I'll be there."

As she hung up the phone, she heard a quick beep and a blue car rolled up to the curb. She gave a surprised look as the passenger window rolled down, revealing the familiar faces of three Ocean Rangers, "Hey! Need a lift?"

"Cam? Desmond? Naomi?" she asked getting in the backseat of the car, "Thanks. I'm surprised you picked me out of the crowd."

As they pulled back into traffic, Naomi grinned, "You like wearing bright orange clothes so it's really not too hard to miss."

Hannah gave a sheepish shrug, "I guess you're right. What are you three doing here near Honolulu?"

"We were working out a business deal with a new fish buyer," Desmond said proudly.

Hannah raised a curious eyebrow before Cam turned from the driver's seat and gave a mischievous wink, "You remember Alex's restaurant owner friend Bailey? She seemed particularly happy to see Desmond and do business with him… if you know what I mean."

The Red Ranger gave a huff and punched Cam's arm while the others shared a laugh.

"So… are you guys headed home now?" Hannah asked.

"Well… not exactly," Desmond admitted rubbing the back of his neck. We were going to stop by Ocean Point Temple. It seems Kanohi is calling an impromptu meeting today."

"Ranger business? That sounds fun! Can I come too?"

The others exchanged a hesitant look as Naomi wrinkled her features, "I don't know Hannah. It might not be a good idea getting too involved with everything. It's dangerous and you don't have Ranger powers of your own."

"Jeez, you're sounding just like my mother today," Hannah grumbled, "I might not be a Ranger like you guys, but I wish you guys wouldn't treat me like some little baby who can't take care of herself either. I know I can help out somehow."

As they rode for a few minutes, she told them about her conversation with her mother earlier and how it frustrated her.

When she finished the story, there was a moment of silence before Naomi turned to Cam who was driving, "Well? You're the one behind the wheel. What do you think? Should we drop Hannah off at her apartment first?"

The Blue Ranger gave a thoughtful frown before speaking, "Let's keep heading to the temple."

"Wait… really?" Hannah asked in shock while Desmond and Naomi exchanged a puzzled expression. "I thought you of all people would be the first to say no."

The Blue Ranger gave a quiet smile, "You said you want a chance to prove yourself. So we'll start here."

* * *

Later that day, the Rangers assembled within the ruins of Ocean Point Temple before the ancient tiki Kanohi. As they stood calmly, they watched as the statue's eyes lit up with magical fires and fixed its gaze upon them, "Welcome Rangers. I thank you for coming. I have an important matter to discuss with you."

Turning his eyes toward the teen, Kanohi said, "Hannah Johnson? I did not expect to see you here today."

"It's ok, Kanohi. She's with us, remember? She can be trusted," Alex said putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

The tiki's eyes flickered quietly as if expressing a nod before he spoke again, "I've called you here because I've sensed the presence of Nighmarcher soldiers on the other side of the island to the north."

"That's odd," David said adjusting his glasses thoughtfully, "What are they doing there?"

The ancient kahuna spoke again, "I believe they may be searching for a secret sunken landform called the Aumakua Shrine."

"The Shrine of Ancestral Spirits?" Naomi asked curiously, "I've never heard of that place before."

The tiki's eye's glowed more brightly, "Precisely. After the defeat of Hine Nui ages ago, the original Koa warriors sunk the shrine beneath the waters to keep it a secret."

"What's so important about this place?" Cam asked with a pensive frown, "I'm guessing there's something valuable hidden there?"

"Yes," Kanohi answered, "The Ali'i Conch, or the Royal Conch, was an object of great power that had been granted to original Ocean Rangers of old. With it, they were able to summon giant guardian spirits to help defend the island against Hine Nui."

"Sounds like the modern equivalent of Power Ranger zords to me," Alex chimed in with an interested smile. "That would be a huge boost to our arsenal."

The kahuna's voice grew deeper and more somber, "I will try to send you as close as I can to the lagoon where it was sunk, but you must not let Hine Nui's forces recover the Conch shell. There's no telling what terrible things she could do with that sort of power."

Desmond pumped a fist eagerly and led the others toward the temple spings, "All right then! What are we waiting for? Let's get those zords!"

"Be careful Rangers," Kano said gravely, "There's no telling what other dangers may be waiting around the sunken cove."

Hannah gave a nervous look before Cam glanced over calmly, "Are you still intending to come along with us?"

She didn't know if it was said out of genuine concern or if it was meant as a challenge, but she took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, "Of course I'm coming."

She reached out and grabbed hold of the other Rangers as they dipped their Ocean Bracers into the water and teleported away toward the mysterious sunken cove.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the northern coastline of the island of Oahu, a large bipedal crustacean monster resembling a red rock crab scuttled about the shallow waters. Raising a clawed hand, the creature named Grapsus growled to a group of Nightmarcher zombies escorting him, "You lot, start heading toward that ravine. Queen Hine Nui said we're getting close to finding that temple."

Before he had left the phantom island, his queen had stressed the importance of this mission. If she was going to defeat the Rangers of Honolulu, she was going to need to dig up a weapon from the past and use overwhelming force against them. If the Ranger did show up while they were searching... well, he'd just have to try and save Hine Nui some extra trouble by destroying them. Giving another growl, Grapsus urged his troops on, "The Queen thinks we are the best ones suited for scouting the near coastlines. Let's not prove her wrong. Now get a move on you dead heads!"

* * *

Once situated outside, the Ocean Rangers found themselves near the seaside at the edge of a shallow ravine leading out into the ocean. They were surrounded by leafy ferns and undergrowth while they made their way toward the sound of the surf to get their bearings and look around.

In the bright, humid glare of the mid afternoon sun, the six could see a wide inlet of relatively shallow water carved into the coastline.

"Well, this definitely looks like a sunken cove to me," David stated scanning the area for walking paths down the ridge before pointing one out.

As they made their way down, Desmond observed the area, "This looks like a lot of ground to cover. I think we should split up for a little while once we reach the bottom of the ridge. Dave, you're with me. Alex, you're with Naomi. Cam?"

"I'll look after Hannah," he nodded.

"You're really serious about me helping the team here?" she asked, stopping a for a moment.

"Sure," the Blue Ranger replied coolly while continuing to walk, "Until we find that conch shell, just think of all this as your line-crossing ceremony."

"My what?"

The others glanced curiously at Cam as he sighed and explained, "It comes from an old Naval tradition to ensure that your fellow sailors are all able and trustworthy. When your ship crosses the Equator, any person who hasn't done so already is called a slimy polliwog and has to go through an initiation of sorts to become what's known as a trusty shellback."

From his pocket, he produced a small souvenir coin with the image of the Greek god Poseidon on it, a personal memento commemorating the event.

"Did you have to do it?" David asked.

The Blue Ranger nodded, "When I was an Ensign fresh out of the Academy, my first assignment was aboard an aircraft carrier that crossed the Equator. Lucky me."

"What happened? What do they make you do?" Desmond inquired.

"Oh, all sorts of demeaning things," Cam said, "For example, we got buckets of sea water dumped on our heads every hour, we had to eat horrible concoctions made by the ship's cook, and one day, I had to mop the top deck of the carrier wearing nothing but my skivies and my cap."

Alex smirked and gave Naomi a conspiratorial nudge, "I actually kinda wish I was around to see that now."

Hannah scratched her head, "That sounds just like hell-week fraternity hazing to me."

"But it helped make me the well adjusted person I am today," Cam chuckled to himself.

As they continued to walk, Hannah simply rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, "My Dad was right. You Navy folk really are a bunch of weirdos."

* * *

After reaching the bottom of the ridge and splitting up, Hannah and Cam began to poke around the shallows of the white sandy lagoon looking for anything out of the ordinary. While they peered around rocks and scanned the coastline, Hannah led the way as if hell bent on finding the conch shell first. To Cam's surprise, she scrambled up a nearby rock covered in moss and looked out over the lagoon intently.

"Just what are you doing?" he asked her crossing his arms.

"Brainstorming," she replied tapping her head, "I know a thing or two about diving and if Kanohi said this area was sunken, we should be looking for landmarks resembling the corners of a shrine."

"Do you see anything?"

Hannah furrowed her brow in thought, "I can't be totally sure, but I'm thinking that shallow sandbar out in the near distance could be part of the structure. Maybe if we swim out there and check it out? What do you think?"

"I think I made the right decision bringing you along," the Blue Ranger smiled, "Let's get a move on little polliwog."

* * *

After a short swim out to the coastal sandbar, both Cam and Hannah found themselves on a surprisingly large firm bed of sediment. Reaching down, the Blue Ranger scooped some sand away and found some remnants of an old stone earthwork underneath, "Well I'll be damned. Good eyes kid. Now what?"

The younger girl gave a thoughtful grin and began to follow a circular pattern in the landform, "If I had to guess, we're probably standing around some kind of wide basin. If this was part of a shrine, then..."

"Then treasure could possibly be placed in the bottom of the basin," Cam guessed, "Sure. It's worth a look."

He reached for his Ocean Bracer, but Hannah stopped him and pulled out a pair of swimming goggles from her own pocket, "Here. Let me."

"Hannah, you've done enough," he frowned, "It could be dangerous."

She stubbornly put on the goggles and rolled up her shorts a little higher, "Please Cam. Just let me do this? I've dived in deeper water unassisted. If I don't surface in a minute and a half, then you can jump in, ok?"

Cam stared her down for a long moment before relenting and giving a mild growl, "Just don't do anything crazy down there, ok?"

She smiled and gave a nod before diving into the deeper waters of the basin. As she plunged into the warm waters, she could begin to make out what looked to be a sunken central floor of a temple, almost resembling Ocean Point Temple in some ways. Strewn about were some collapsed pillars and caved-in walls. It was amazing and fascinating at the same time. The underwater ruins were nowhere near as colorful and picturesque as the coral reefs she often took tourists to on dives, but it was just as exhilarating.

Despite her racing heart, Hannah pushed further and continued to look about, trying to find a sign of a buried treasure or a large conch shell. She was determined now to find that shell and prove her worth to the other Rangers. For now, she would just have to hold her breath and focus on her task. She worked for a company called Go Deep, and that was exactly what she was going to do right now.

Meanwhile, above the water, Cam watched Hannah submerge beneath the waters and looked about, deciding to stand guard over their little spot on the sandbar. That was until he heard the sound of splashing water coming from nearby. Despite the bright glare of the afternoon sunlight, he stared in dread as a group of Hine Nui's Nightmarcher soldiers emerged from the depths and climbed up the sandbar in front of him.

At the head of the Nightmarcher patrol was the large ugly crustacean Grapsus who began to threateningly click his large claws together in anticipation, "Well... what have we here? An Ocean Ranger all the way out here and by himself."

"What the... Where did you come from?" Cam demanded while taking a fighting stance.

"Where I came from doesn't matter half as much as why I'm here," the crab monster replied, "Nightmarchers!"

As the Nightmarcher troops charged forward to attack, Grapsus extended a large menacing claw with a sinister smile, "Nice to meet you Blue Ranger. Why don't you come and shake my hand?"


	12. Kame'e: Hero

**Episode 6: Part 2  
**

"Where the heck did these guys come from?" Alex called as she ducked under a Nightmarcher zombie's swing and knocked it over with a sharp elbow. Nearby, she saw Naomi do a somersault off her opponent and kick it away with a roundhouse kick.

"No idea," the Yellow Ranger answered as she and Alex took back to back fighting stances on the beach. One minute they had been combing the place for temple ruins, only to be ambushed by a squad of Hine Nui's troops. "Think we should warn the others?"

Alex glanced sideways and gave a relieved smirk, "I think they already know. Look!"

Charging down a nearby sand dune came Desmond and David who plowed into several of the zombies with their shoulders before sending them flying backwards with jump kicks.

"Nice of you guys to show up," Naomi grinned reaching for her Ocean Bracer, "Shall we?"

In a flash, the four morphed into their Ranger forms and drew their Ocean Daggers. Desmond took a ready stance and growled to the foot soldiers, "Get out of our way! We don't have time for you!"

Leading the charge, the Red Ranger rushed forward with the others and a short savage brawl erupted on the sandy beach. As the last of the Nightmarchers fell and dissipated into black smoke, David took a relieved breath, "That looks like the last of them."

Alex frowned and glanced about the beach, "I don't see Cam or Hannah. Do you think they're ok?"

"Let's not take any chances," Desmond answered reaching for his bracelet, "Hopefully we can find them before any trouble does first."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the sunken ruins of the Aumakua Shrine, Hannah spotted a large decorative pot sitting within what looked to be the remnants of a stone altar. She swam closer and peered inside, seeing a large white rimmed conch shell. Her eyes went wide and her heart raced in excitement, but she realized she needed to surface and take another breath of air. She was already pushing her limit.

The young diver turned upward and swam quickly for the surface of the water straight above the spot of the shell. As she surfaced again and took a deep breath, she gasped as she spotted Cameron desperately fending off a group of undead soldiers on the narrow sandbar. He didn't have time to morph and turned in surprise when he saw her. The moment cost him as a few Nightmarchers tackled him.

"Hannah! Get out of here! Now!" he shouted while struggling.

She looked on in fear as the crab monster Grapsus glanced over toward her and signaled his troops, "Hold the Ranger down. I'll deal with the girl."

Hannah quickly dove back down into the water as the crab jumped in after her. With desperate strokes, she descended back into the basin and stopped at the ruined stone altar. As she took a rock and smashed the pot open, she grabbed the Royal Conch shell and looked up to see the crustacean descending quickly toward her.

"Not so fast girlie! That shell belongs to Hine Nui!" he cackled, bringing his claw down for a hammering blow.

Hannah darted sideways in the water and narrowly avoided the strike as it smashed the altar apart. Still, the force of the blow sent Hannah tumbling in the water until she struck some nearby ruins of a stone wall. As she did, she cried out as she hit her head and smashed her foot against some low rocks trying to right herself. As pain flared from her ankle, she struggled to focus while Grapsus approached. She was running out of air and had to do something fast.

As the crab surged toward her, Hannah swam over the top of the fragile ruined wall and gave it a firm kick in the direction of the monster. The crab suddenly stopped and looked up in shock as the heavy stone wall came loose and rapidly began to crash down on him. Giving a scream of fury, the monster was buried as the stone wall came down and crushed him into the mud.

Running on adrenaline, Hannah swam up to the surface again with the shell in hand and spotted the Blue Ranger pinned down and restrained by the Nightmarchers who were now trying to force his head into the water, likely to drown him.

"Hey! Back off!" she shouted, ignoring the pain in her ankle and building enough steam to charge forward up the sandbar and shoulder check a few of the undead soldiers. As Hannah collapsed from the pain in her foot, the opening gave Cam just enough time to break free and morph, slashing a few of the other minions down with his Ocean Dagger.

Without their leader and now facing an armed Blue Ranger, the other zombies stopped for a moment before jumping back into the water, fleeing in fear.

As they did, Cam bent down to help his younger friend.

"Hannah! Are you ok?" he asked in concern, "You're bleeding from your head... and your ankle is swelling up. What happened down there?"

She winced before holding out the conch shell, "I found it. I got the shell Cam."

He stared in surprise before glancing back at the water, "What about that crab monster?"

"He tried to catch me... so I crushed him under a temple wall."

He sat in disbelief for a moment before shaking his head with a smile, "Unbelievable. Now let's get you outta here."

In one motion, he scooped her up and used his bracer to teleport them back to the relative safety of the main shoreline. After contacting the others, they waited on the beach for the other Rangers to reach them. As they did, Cam turned to the younger diver, "Nice work out there Hannah. You did great out there... and you saved my life, so thank you."

She gave a tired smile from where she was sitting and nodded before giving a curious look, "Cam... why did you agree to let me come out here today, especially knowing that I didn't have Ranger powers?"

The Blue Ranger sighed and looked out toward the water, "Because I understand how you feel. You want to be taken seriously and not treated like some dumb kid."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Really? How would you know that?"

"Listen... compared to a lot of guys my age, I got promoted to the rank of Lieutenant pretty early on. You'd think that's great, except many of the older LT's senior to me didn't think so. To them, I was still just some dumb upstart kid who was better off ignored. I guess I still kinda am, but I want to prove them wrong too."

Hannah smiled and nodded again, but before she could speak, the other Rangers arrived on the beach.

"Hannah! Thank goodness you're ok!" Alex cried rushing over and giving her younger friend a hug.

Just then, the Ocean Rangers' reunion was cut short as dark swirling waters churned near the sandbar. From the dark spell cast by the great sea witch, the crustacean monster Grapsus rose from the water, now a colossal titan.

"Oh dear... that's not good at all," David gasped quietly in intimidation, "How are we gonna fight that thing?"

"With this," Hannah announced holding up the conch shell to Desmond, "Call your zords with this."

"Whoah! Way to save the day Hannah!" the Red Ranger grinned holding up the shell to his lips, "Why don't you just sit tight right now. We'll finish up the rest."

Desmond sounded the conch shell and the Rangers watched in wonder as a large surging wave began to grow in the distant ocean. The giant crab monster Grapsus turned in surprise and roared angrily as he was momentarily bowled over by the rapidly approaching tidal wave.

To the Rangers' surprise, the great wave immediately dissipated, bursting into a great spray of water revealing 5 titanic mechanized ocean creatures headed their way. Leading the charge was a Red Crocodile flanked by a Blue Shark and a Green Turtle. Rising up on the Crocodile's back was a Pink Seahorse while a Yellow Seagull soared above the formation, keeping in line with its companions.

Using the waters to teleport, the Ocean Rangers took to their new zords and gave an excited cheer.

"Oh man, these things are awesome!" Desmond grinned taking control of his reptilian zord.

"We've gotta thank Kanohi when we get back," Alex laughed, "The old Ocean Rangers really knew how to ride in style."

They were interrupted as David cleared his throat and pointed toward the colossal crab monster,

"Um everyone? We should probably stay focused right now," he chimed in trying to gently remind the others of the battle at hand.

Desmond nodded, "Dave's right. Let's take it to that monster. Naomi, take point. Cam, you're with me."

"Got it," the Blue and Yellow Rangers answered in unison while steering their zords into a coordinated attack. With a sharp keening call, the Yellow Seagull dove down from the skies and darted around Grapsus, stirring up a momentary whirlwind in the ocean to stagger the creature.

The crab growled and used his claws to shield himself from the tornado, but that moment cost him. In a heartbeat, both the Crocodile and Shark zords exploded from the water nearby and bit into the monster's legs with their crushing jaws.

The giant crustacean howled in pain as the two zords clamped down, pinning him in place while damaging his legs even more. Just then, both zords let go and withdrew, allowing Alex's Seahorse to poke its head from the water and spray a blinding bubble storm from its snout. Now blinded and crippled, Grapsus staggered sideways trying to swing at the seahorse but David's giant green Sea turtle burst from the water and delivered a flying body tackle which knocked the monster down.

"All right Ocean Rangers, I think he's had enough," Desmond waved, "Let's bring out the crab hammer."

As if the zords were reading the Rangers' minds, they regrouped and began to form up into a unified formation. Before the Rangers could comprehend what was going on, the Shark and Seahorse fused into the Turtle to form a torso and arms. Meanwhile the Crocodile connected to form the base of the legs while the Seagull swooped in from above to form the head.

"Rangers," Kanohi spoke from their bracelets, "This is the Ocean Force Megazord. A symbol of the island's unity. With it is the power to vanquish Hine Nui's sea titans."

"Very cool," Cam smiled, "I'm loving it already. Desmond?"

The Red Ranger gave a thumbs up, "Right. Let's finish this monster quickly. Ocean Force Megazord, Swordfish Saber!"

The oceanic Megazord reached out its hand and a great metallic swordfish in the shape of a blade leapt from the waters to form a new weapon.

"You think that little toothpick is going to scare me?" Grapsus snarled in fury as he charged forward, "I'll crush you Rangers with my bare claws!"

"Not today!" the Red Ranger retorted as the Rangers worked together to control the Megazord and parry aside their enemy's claw. Turning the blade in a quick counter motion, the Megazord slashed and struck the monster back, slicing off the tip of one of its claws in the process.

"No!" Gapsus howled clutching its wounded claw as the Megazord reared back for a finishing sword blow.

"Ocean Force Megazord, Tidal Strike!"

With a powerful charged blow, the Megazord brought its swordfish blade around and bisected the monstrous crustacean, causing it to fall to its knees into the water and explode into a great cloud of dark magic smoke.

The Ocean Rangers erupted into another cheer while exchanging high fives from their victory and successful recovery of the Royal Conch Shell. From the shores of the island, Hannah sat on the beach, nursing her injuries during the battle. As she continued to watch, she stared in surprise as she saw the Ocean Force Megazord turn her way and give a thumbs up toward her. Despite her fatigue and her injuries, Hannah couldn't help but burst into a big smile and return the thumbs up with one of her own.

* * *

Early that evening, Hannah sat in the hospital ward recovering from her ordeal. After the battle on the island's north shore, the Rangers quickly brought her back to David's hospital in central Honolulu for treatment. Once her parents were notified with the cover story of a diving accident, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson rushed over to pick her up. While she could have gotten one of her Ranger friends to take her home like an adult, right now Hannah had to admit that it still felt nice to have her parents nearby so they could pamper her a little bit while she recovered.

As Hannah lay sitting upright on the emergency room bed, she gave a tired sigh as David finished taping up her sprained ankle. He had already given her painkillers and applied a bandage dressing to the cut on her head. Of course, his having been an army doctor in Japan made dealing with these kinds of injuries second nature to him.

"Well Hannah, I think you should be ok," he said, "I'll let you rest here for a little while longer while your parents sign some forms out in the waiting room. Remember, stay off that ankle for a while, ok?"

"Yeah… I promise. Thanks again Doc," she said glumly. Admittedly, the thought of being unable to swim for a few weeks was going to be a major bummer.

As David left the ward, Hannah turned in surprise as she saw Cam enter the recovery room carrying a small paper bag.

"Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?" he asked walking over to her bedside. "I wanted to stop in and check on you again before going home."

She shrugged, "Dave said I'll live, but I probably shouldn't go swimming… or try to take on any monsters for a few weeks."

Cam smiled, "Well, no one ever said being a Ranger was a cakewalk. Speaking of which, I have something for you."

Hannah watched curiously as Cam pulled out his old souvenir Navy coin and offered it to her. "You really came through for the Rangers today. You helped save the island, and my life. I figured you deserved a little promotion."

"Cameron, I… thanks. But I can't take your coin..."

"Why not?" he replied, "You may not be a Ranger, but you're one of the team. Since I can't give you an Ocean Bracer, this is the best I can do."

He cleared his throat and handed the coin to her with a smile while speaking in a mock officious voice, "To all polliwogs and landlubbers alike, know ye that on this day, Miss Hannah Johnson has comported herself well before a Son of Neptune. And having been found worthy, is henceforth recognized as a Trusty Shellback forevermore."

Hannah laughed and admired the thick decorative coin in her hand before Cam started digging into the small paper bag he brought, "Oh, and I thought I'd bring you a little extra treat to cheer you up."

He pulled out a golden brown cookie and offered it to her, "When I was a little kid, my aunt would always bake some butterscotch cookies for me when I was feeling down. I thought you could use a couple so I picked some up."

"Oh… Cam, I don't know. I'm still feeling a little queasy from the painkillers," Hannah said hesitantly taking the cookie.

"Come on. One bite will perk you right up. I promise."

Hannah gave a reluctant look and took a small nibble. As she chewed and swallowed, she forced a weak smile.

"You don't like butterscotch cookies… do you? Cam asked with a dawning realization.

Hannah gave an apologetic smile while shaking her head, "Sorry, no. But I appreciate the thought. It was still very sweet of you."

The Blue Ranger chuckled softly before patting her hand and heading out the door, "In that case... get well soon kid. We'll try not to get into too much trouble without you."

As he left, Hannah smiled and lay back in bed palming the coin and patting the bag of cookies at her side contentedly. She had done a truly heroic thing today and it felt really good to be able to help her Ranger friends. It felt even better to be recognized for it and act a little more like a true adult. Still, the experience reminded her of the extra danger and responsibility that her new friends had to deal with on a regular basis. While it certainly wouldn't stop her from trying to help and be a good friend to them in the future, at least for now, Hannah Johnson decided she wouldn't be in a total hurry to grow up just yet either.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Hey everybody! Hope you enjoyed this little update as well as the introduction of the Ocean Force Megazord. I also wanted to give a special little nod toward Stargate SG1 for the final scene too. Much like two characters from the show, Hannah and Cam share a very similar brother-sister type bond and I thought the scene was too great not to adapt in some way.**

 **I also had a reader ask me about what Oceania's theme music might be. I thought it was a fun question so I'll bite.**  
 **Intro: Baywatch Hawai'i Season 10 Ending theme (Instrumental)**  
 **Outro: Chase the Sun by Arrows to Athens**

 **Thanks as always for reading everyone! Now if you'll excuse me for a while, I've got another series Finale to finish!**


	13. Kauka: Doctor

**Episode 7: Part 1  
**

The waves pounded in a steady beat against the gray shoreline of the small Phantom Island while a lone figure continued staring out across the waters. The dark sea witch Hine Nui gazed out through the swirling roiling clouds that blanketed the island to glimpse the lights of Honolulu at night. To anyone else on that infernal beach, it would have been a beautiful sight. Instead, the sea witch wrinkled her nose in contempt.

While she did, her attention was drawn away for a moment as she felt a stray mosquito land on her arm and bite her pale skin. Hine Nui stood impassively watching as the small insect drank her black blood and fell away into the waters, instantly killed by the evil taint running through her veins. That was when she got an idea.

Waving her hand, she cast a spell on the dead mosquito floating in the water, reanimating it into a large monstrous humanoid. As it rose from the waters and flexed its wings, the monster turned to the sea witch giving her a curious look.

"Welcome back," Hine Nui said with a sinister smile toward the undead insect, "I have a special job for you Skirge. Your kind is known for bringing disease and misery to the humans. Now that you've been exposed to my blood, I want you to spread the dark plague to others... beginning with that island on the horizon."

Hine Nui gestured toward the distant island of Oahu and the creature gave a buzzing sound of understanding. As it beat its wings and took off into the dark skies toward Honolulu, Skirge's departure was followed with the ringing sound of Hine Nui's malevolent laughter.

* * *

Bright sunlight streamed into the busy emergency room ward as David Hosokawa finished treating his newest patient of the day. She was a pretty young Hawaiian woman of about 18 with dark brown hair and light colored eyes and she winced as David finished by putting a bandage over the dressing of her injured hand.

"Well Miss Ovarehani, you're very lucky that your hand isn't in worse shape. It's a pretty mild second degree burn so just be sure to use that antibiotic ointment and change the dressing every day until it heals."

"Thanks doctor," the girl sighed glumly, "I really wasn't planning on taking a trip to the emergency room today."

David shrugged and took up a pen to finish updating her chart and sign her discharge papers, "If I may ask, how did you burn yourself anyway?"

She gave an evasive look, "Oh... well, it's kinda embarrassing. I was working on a little science experiment... and it kinda blew up on me. I can be a bit of a klutz sometimes."

David raised an eyebrow but continued on his paperwork, "I see. Do you have anyone to take you home? I doubt you'll be able to hold the steering wheel of a car for several days."

She nodded, "Yeah. My cousin is coming to pick me up. In fact, there she is right now."

David turned in surprise to the Yellow Ranger Naomi Sato hurry into the ward and give a concerned look to her cousin, "Lili! Are you ok? I came as soon as I could."

"I'm ok Naomi. I just fried my hand a little, but I'm fine now. Another little science mishap."

Naomi sighed and shook her head, "Leilani, you really ought to be more careful in your lab. You're going to give your poor grandma a heart attack."

Turning to David, she smiled and gave a grateful nod, "Thanks for taking care of Lili, Dave. I owe you a big one."

The doctor adjusted his glasses and gave a chuckle while handing her the discharge papers, "Don't mention it. I'm just glad I could help."

Before he could speak again, he and Naomi both noticed their Ocean Bracers flicker for a moment, a signal that trouble was brewing.

Clearing his throat, David spoke urgently to the Yellow Ranger, "Oh, before I forget... are you planning on going to that important meeting in a little while?"

Given their sudden predicament, David didn't have time to think of a great excuse, but he still had to try and be discreet around non-Rangers.

Leilani frowned and gave a curious look, "Meeting? Naomi, you know this doctor?"

The Yellow Ranger bit her lip and tried to think quickly of a cover story, "Oh, yeah! Dave here is a friend of mine. We're both on a uh... recreational sports team."

"Really? What kind?" Leilani asked curiously.

"Martial arts," David answered quickly, "Naomi?"

The Yellow Ranger nodded and quickly began to shuffle her younger cousin out of the hospital room, "You go ahead David. I'll catch up with you guys as soon as I get Lili home."

Turning to Leilani, Naomi gave an expectant look, "Let's get going Lili. I'm sure Doc Hosokawa still has a lot of work left to do."

As he watched his fellow Ranger push her cousin out the door, David couldn't help but shake his head and smile again while he turned to look for a quick exit so he could go help his other friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Honolulu, the other Rangers sat at an outdoor beach park huddled around a small barbecue grill. It was their day off and they decided to grill some lunch and go for a swim afterwards. As the charcoal continued to sizzle, Desmond looked on proudly while finishing cooking some of his latest catch.

He was wearing a red novelty cooking apron with a picture of fishbones on the chest reading "I Hook em and Cook em." The smells of freshly grilled fish and shrimp wafted in the air as Cam, Alex, and Hannah finished laying out the rest of their picnic spread.

"You know what? This was a great idea today." Alex sighed plopping down on the blanket and putting on her sunglasses.

"You can say that again," Hannah added as she stirred some potato salad together, "The grilled food smells delicious! I can hardly wait to try it."

Cam gave an idle shrug and looked out toward the waters, "Yeah... but it's still kind of a shame Naomi and David were still working today."

"No worries bud," Desmond said brightly as he placed the cooked food on plates, "We can always save them some food for later. Now, do you think you could give me a hand with this?"

The Rangers' leisurely afternoon was suddenly interrupted as they heard the sound of loud buzzing and the beating of wings. Moments later, they heard terrified cries of people and saw a small crowd of beach-goers begin to flee in panic.

"Come on! Let's get a move on everyone!" Cam called taking off running down the sand with Alex and Hannah close behind. Desmond glanced toward his freshly grilled seafood and gave a conflicted look. After a long moment, he sighed and gave a hungry grumble as he reluctantly followed his other friends.

Further down the beach, the Rangers spotted Hine Nui's newest monster already at work terrorizing the people of the city. As they arrived, they witnessed the mosquito monster extend several long spiky tongues and sting a handful of civilians at once. As it did, the people collapsed and began to take on a sickly appearance.

"Ugh! That is so gross," Alex remarked, wrinkling her nose in disgust while Hannah broke off to the sidelines and gave a wave.

"I'll start directing traffic and get the victims clear!"

At that, Skirge whirled around on the three Ocean Rangers in front of him. As he planted his feet in the golden sand, Desmond turned to the others and raised his Ocean Bracer, "Are you guys ready?"

Cam cleared his throat for a moment and gestured to cooking apron Desmond was still wearing prompting the Red Ranger to tear it off while giving a sheepish smile, "Oops... my bad. Now let's get em!"

While she busily pulled the injured civilians to safety on the sidelines, Hannah watched as the three Rangers morphed and charged forward with their weapons, trying to overwhelm the insectoid creature quickly. Unfortunately for them, Skirge was turning out to be faster and more agile than they expected. As she watched the monster duck and weave past several of the Rangers' attacks, Hannah was startled from behind when she felt David's hand tap her on the shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late," he panted, "Are these people ok?"

"Not sure. I'll keep an eye on them," Hannah shrugged, "The others need your help!"

The Green Ranger nodded and charged forward, morphing as he sprinted toward the waters. Upon joining the battle, David regrouped with the other three who gave a frustrated growl as Skirge took a flying leap to safety and shot the ground in front of them with a volley of its stinging needle shots.

"Hey! Glad you could make it after all Doc," Alex called in relief giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"How can I help?" the Green Ranger nodded turning to the others.

The Red and Blue Rangers exchanged a look before Desmond turned his spear toward the monster, "Dave, get ready to back us up if need be. Cam and I will give em the old one two punch. Alex, you're on point!"

The Pink Ranger charged forward and made a leaping cartwheel attack, forcing the insectoid to dodge clear. As it did, Desmond and Cam moved together for a follow up attack, but the monster surprised them by making a flying jump directly upward, causing them to miss with their spear and sword. As it landed behind them, Skirge fired its needle tongues out and stung both Rangers in the back, causing them to stiffen and fall over, before demorphing.

"Hey! Let them go!" Alex shouted angrily as she tried to rush in and help, but the monster looked up and fired another tongue, stinging her too and causing her to collapse into the sands.

David could only stand in shock at the sight of this three downed friends while the monster turned on him. He wasn't used to being in this position. He was normally comfortable in a backup or support role during Ranger battles. Now that both Desmond and Cam weren't around to lead the charge, he honestly didn't know what to do at the moment.

As the monster took a flying leap toward him, it was momentarily halted and thrown sideways by a powerful gust of wind. Looking up, David saw a yellow colored blur arrive, striking the monster with a pair of serrated clubs, before blowing it back again with an elemental burst of wind power. The doctor gave a sigh of relief as Naomi had finally arrived and none too soon. With an angry growl, the mosquito monster flapped its wings and took off, retreating from the battlefield while the Yellow Ranger watched it flee.

"Naomi! Am I glad to see you!" David exclaimed as she hurried back over toward the others.

She tilted her head curiously, "Is everything ok David? It looked like you totally froze up back there."

The Green Ranger bit his lip and waved it off defensively, "Everything is fine. Forget it."

He walked over to where his three fellow Rangers were lying in the sand, groaning with discomfort. As he turned Desmond over, he could see the Red Ranger had already grown a little pale and was beginning to show signs of an early fever.

"What do we do now?" Hannah asked in concern as she and Naomi helped the others sit up while shooting expectant looks.

Again David paused and felt like his head was spinning. The monster was still on the loose but several civilians as well as his Ranger friends had seemed to be infected with some kind of sickness. Which priority was first? It was at that moment, David wished he had a few minutes to think and that the others weren't staring at him, waiting for a response.

Giving an impatient motion, Naomi rose and helped drag Alex to her feet. "Ok. I say we had back to my house and regroup. We can make the others comfortable and hopefully figure out what this new plague is."

Giving another uncertain look, David nodded while Hannah helped him hoist Desmond and Cam to their feet to get them toward the water. Hopefully after teleporting home, they would be able to figure out their next course of action.

* * *

A little while later, the Ocean Rangers had settled back into the beach house to try and recover from the last battle. From her spot on the couch, the Pink Ranger held her stomach as Hannah returned from the kitchen to give her a glass of water and pain killers.

"Geez… I don't know if I want meds right now," Alex moaned, "I feel like I'm going to hurl."

Nearby, David sat with Desmond, examining him and pulling out a small bag of medical supplies. While looking fatigued and haggard, Desmond raised an eyebrow as David removed a small needle along with some alcohol swabs and phials. "Ok Desmond. I'm gonna need you to hold still while I take a blood sample. I'll run some tests and figure out exactly what we're up against."

"No way Jose!" the Red Ranger replied in dread, "You're not gonna stick me with that huge needle."

David frowned slightly, "Come on! It's not that big. Don't tell me you're afraid of needles."

Again Desmond refused to present his arm prompting Cam to give a grumble and offer his own arm, "Oh for crying out loud Desmond… here Dave, stick me instead."

While David took a blood sample, Naomi put a blanket over Cam as he had begun to shiver and get the chills. With a tired sigh, she gave a sympathetic look over her ill friends. Picking up the remote control, she flipped on the television and tried to give a reassuring smile, "All right. What say we just all relax for a little bit and try to watch some TV?"

As she turned on the television, the Rangers watched as the local news was broadcast from central Honolulu where a visually shaken news reporter was interviewing EMTs treating a few new victims of Hine Nui's latest monster. Turning back to the camera, the young female reporter wore a grave expression, "Reports are coming in of victims of the monster attacks suffering from acute flu-like symptoms. Authorities are advising the people around the city of Honolulu to stay indoors for the time being. As for where the Power Rangers are... no one can be sure right now. This is Melia Tanaka, Channel 8 News."

Naomi winced a moment realizing this probably wasn't helping the mood of the sick Rangers. While they were suffering great pain and fatigue already, they had to have been feeling awfully guilty for not being able to carry on the fight against that flying bug thing right now.

From where he sat, David gripped his fresh sample of blood and gave a determined frown. He had let his friends down in battle earlier, and he had to try and do something now to make it up to them. Getting them healthy and back on their feet was his first priority now. In the meantime, all he could do was hope they didn't get any worse, or that the mosquito monster wouldn't hurt any more innocent people.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Time for everyone's favorite Japanese-American doctor to get a little spotlight. Before I forget, I also wanted to give a special shout out and thank you to _Ms. Strange-Imagination_ for contributing the supporting character of Leilani Ovarehani. Naomi's cousin Lili will no doubt have a role to play later on in the series, but I just wanted to give her a little introduction for now. Thanks again!**


	14. Paulele: Confidence

**Episode 7: Part 2  
**

It had been nearly 24 hours since the monster Skirge had made its appearance and infected three of the five Ocean Rangers with its debilitating illness. In that time, the living room of Naomi's beach house had begun to take on the appearance of a sick ward. Desmond, Cam, and Alex all lay out on some couches and cots while David worked to figure out a treatment.

The young doctor sat at the kitchen table hunched over his laptop while going over lab results. In the next room, both Naomi and Hannah had been pressed into service as makeshift nurses for their friends. As the Yellow Ranger fluffed the pillows around Alex on the couch, she glanced over as Hannah put a hand to Desmond's forehead.

"They're burning up," the teen said putting a cold pack on the Red Ranger's head in hopes it would cool him down, "Are they getting worse?"

Naomi grimaced and headed into the kitchen to check in with David, "What's the situation Doc? Our patients aren't looking too good right now."

"I believe it," David finally said, sitting back in his seat while removing his glasses to rub his eyes. "If I'm reading these blood tests right, it looks like our friends are suffering from something that resembles malaria."

The Yellow Ranger blinked in surprise, "Malaria? That can't be. That disease is basically non-existent on the island now."

"Remember that monster is probably carrying some variant of the illness cooked up by Hine Nui," David corrected her, "If that sea witch is all about death and decay, then I'm not totally surprised she's trying to go this route."

"So what do we do? Can't you come up with a cure?" Naomi pleaded, "I mean, you know a lot about plants and stuff… isn't there something you can use to make a medicine?"

David frowned as he sat in deep thought, "I… I don't know… maybe?"

The Yellow Ranger gave him a pointed look and put her hands on her hips, "Come on Dave! Be decisive! Can you, or can't you?"

The flustered doctor rose to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair, "I… I think so. Listen, the cure for malaria is a substance called quinine. It's found in the bark of cinchona trees, but I think I might be able to make a similar medicine out of a new tree I've been studying at the botanical gardens, the Acerbissium tree. Before we give the final medicine though, we may have to run it by Kanohi first. He may be more familiar in dealing with Hine Nui's curses."

Naomi crossed her arms with a pensive frown before nodding, "Ok… in the meantime, what do you want us to do?"

The Green Ranger picked up his bag and headed for the door, "I'm going to need you and Hannah to take one more nursing shift. Hold the Rangers' temperatures down and keep giving them fluids. I'll be back as soon as I can… I promise."

The Yellow Ranger tried to speak again, but he was already out the door, headed toward the city's botanical gardens. Giving a sigh, she could only cast a worried glance back toward her ill friends before heading back into the living room.

* * *

After begging and pleading with the staff at the gardens, David finally managed to take some bark samples from the Acerbissium trees so that he could devise an antidote. With the ingredients in hand, he returned to the beach house late that afternoon and began mixing them in a large pot of boiling liquid. While he preferred that some pharmacists or chemists looked over any new medicine first, David knew he didn't the luxury of time or help from pharmaceutical companies right now. People's lives were at stake, especially those of his new Ranger friends. If helping them meant he had to resort to a more ancient and primitive way of coming up with a cure, then so be it.

After grinding the ingredients down and bringing the concoction to a boil, he slumped down tiredly in his seat to wait. After closing his eyes and dozing off for a moment, he was awakened when Naomi placed a cup of hot tea in front of him.

"Hey Doc... how are you holding up?" she asked sitting across from him.

David glanced at his watch, then the pot of boiling liquid before taking the tea appreciatively, "I'm ok. Thanks. I uh... didn't know you were a tea drinker too."

The Yellow Ranger gave a quiet laugh, "I'm half Japanese too, remember? I think it's hardwired into our DNA."

David smiled tiredly for a moment, "How are the others?"

"Hannah's taking a nap upstairs, and the others are all sleeping. If you don't mind me saying, you look like hell David. You should get some rest."

The Green Ranger shook his head, "No. Not until I find a remedy for this illness."

Naomi nodded and took a long sip of her own tea, "You know... it's kinda funny how focused and decisive you become when you're dealing with a medical situation."

David glanced up with a frown before she continued, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about what happened during the battle the other day?"

The Green Ranger stared into his teacup before setting it down with a sigh. He didn't know if it was the tea, or the fatigue, or maybe he just wanted to get it off his chest right now, but he spoke, "I screwed up Naomi. I froze up in battle because I didn't know what to do."

Before she could speak again, David sighed, "It's ironic... it's my job to protect people's lives but because I hesitated, people got hurt instead. That's why I became a doctor in the first place. I may have come from a rich family in Japan, but it hurt to see so many less fortunate people suffering."

"You really shouldn't be too hard on yourself," Naomi said taking a calm sip of her tea, "You've fought alongside us before, and you're probably the smartest person here too."

"But I've never been at the forefront of the team or making critical decisions in the heat of battle," David sighed, "I may have been an army doctor but I was always helping from the rear line. I've always been much more comfortable in a supporting role, especially when the rest of you have much better leadership qualities."

Naomi tilted her head curiously as David continued, "Like how you and Desmond get along with people so easily and relate to them. Or how decisive and take-charge Cam is in chaotic situations, or even how self confident Alex is from her many talents."

"That's very true," Naomi pointed out shifting her cup around in her hand, "But you're not realizing how self confident you can be too... especially in a situation like this. I mean, you've already isolated a new illness and have figured out a possible herbal remedy boiling in that pot over there. The rest of us probably wouldn't have even known where to start."

David looked up in surprise as she continued, "It may seem unusual to you, but what you pointed out may be our Ranger team's biggest strength... that there is no official leader. Whenever a new situation with different challenges comes up, the person best suited to handle it has always stepped up to the forefront. You're a Ranger now David and you have just as much leadership ability as the rest of us. Maybe different, but it's there."

David set his cup down and nodded, "Thanks Naomi... that was really insightful."

"Then again... I could just be a little sleep deprived too," she sighed as she checked the kitchen clock, "Is it time?"

David rose from the table and pulled his homemade medicine off the stove. As he removed the lid, strong smelling vapors wafted up from the bubbling liquid. Naomi peered curiously over his shoulder and wrinkled her nose at the smell, "Do you think it'll actually work?"

David examined the contents of the pot and shrugged, "Can't say for certain. Let's take this to Kanohi before we make our friends drink this stuff."

With that, the Yellow Ranger headed for the back door and unlocked it, gesturing to the beach in the back yard, "All right then. What are we waiting for?"

* * *

A little while later, orange rays of the fading sun hung over Ocean Point Temple as David and Naomi met with the ancient tiki Kanohi that evening. After explaining the situation and presenting the herbal mixture, the two Rangers stepped back as the wise old kahuna sat in contemplation.

Finally, Kanohi spoke again, "You were right to bring your medicine to me first David. During my time, the priests and medicine men of my tribe had been forced to deal with several diseases and curses while we were fighting Hine Nui. Based upon what you've told me, I believe your medicine here will work, but it is missing something."

David frowned slightly, "Really? What?"

The tiki's eyes glowed gently, "Remember... the sea witch's curses come from the magic of Death and Decay. If your medicine is to counter Hine Nui's, it requires the magic of Life and Creation, from which we draw our powers."

David wrinkled his features for a moment in thought before speaking again, "Perhaps another ritual? Like the one Alex used... the Blessing of Laka?"

"Exactly," Kanohi replied, "A new power called the Breath of Lono. Lono was one of Hawaii's greater gods... the husband to Laka and a deity of agriculture, rainfall, and peace. Just as he is concerned with preserving life, you may be able to channel that power."

For a scientific minded person like David, the thought was still hard to fathom, "Um... how do I do that?"

Naomi examined the pot of hot liquid medicine thoughtfully before giving a smile, "Believe as Alex did. Then, maybe do something to cool off the medicine... if you know what I mean."

David looked to her, then to Kanohi before taking a deep breath. He had to believe this would work. He had to believe in the words of his friends, and most importantly, he had to believe in himself. As he let out his breath and slowly blew air over the hot liquid, it began to glow, resonating with his own Ocean Bracer. After a long moment, the light faded and the magically infused medicine became cool.

Before they could celebrate, Kanohi's eyes suddenly flared, "Rangers... there is trouble. Hine Nui's monster has returned."

The Yellow and Green Rangers looked into the tiki's sacred spring waters to see the image of the mosquito like creature attacking the city again. At that moment, David handed the medicine to Naomi and raised his Ocean Bracer, "Naomi, go take this medicine to the others and make each of them drink a cup of it. I'll go deal with the monster and slow it down."

"Are you sure?" she asked in surprise.

The doctor steeled his courage and nodded, "Positive. Now, let's go!"

Naomi smiled and nodded as she dipped her bracer in the waters to teleport back home. As she did, David followed suit and headed toward Honolulu to put a stop to the plague bearer once and for all.

* * *

As evening set in over the city of Honolulu, a small crowd of people fled in terror from an outdoor resort area as the insectoid monster Skirge terrorized the scene. As it stung a few more tourists and overturned some chairs and tables, it stopped as it heard the footfalls of a lone hero charging up from the sandy beach behind it. Skirge whirled around and saw a morphed Green Ocean Ranger confront it with a large summoned war club in his hand.

"Hold it right there you blood sucking parasite!" he called with a rising courage in his voice, "You've caused enough misery on this island already, so get lost!"

The monster took an aggressive stance and flared its wings out threateningly. David braced himself as the monster leapt forward and tried to sting him, but the Green Ranger fought defensively to block and avoid the monster's stinger. While he wasn't as proficient in hand to hand combat as his fellow Rangers, David used his environment to his advantage.

He tumbled under tables, kicked up chairs in the monster's face and grabbed the monster's stinger nose, directing it to fire toward the abandoned outdoor pool bar. As he struggled against the monster, David used his club and smashed it down on the creature's needle nose, breaking it in half and disabling its stinger. Before he could celebrate though, Skirge screeched in pain and whipped its head around, tossing the Green Ranger sideways into some nearby shrubbery.

As the Green Ranger rose again, the furious monster flared its wings again and summoned a small crowd of Nightmarcher foot soldiers. David gasped while the undead minions charged forward, before they were stopped by four multi colored heroes joining the fight. David blinked in shock as he saw the other four morphed Ocean Rangers blow past him and take on the foot soldiers. The Rangers didn't seem as fast or aggressive as they normally were, but it was more than enough to take on the Nightmarchers.

"That stuff you gave us to drink tasted awful," Desmond called, tossing aside an enemy, "But it worked like a charm! Thanks Doc!"

Nearby, Cameron twisted the arm of a Nightmarcher and held it in place for a moment, "He's right. You really came through for us Dave! We owe you one!"

As she did a flying somersault and outmaneuvered several foes at once, Alex nodded, "We'll take care of these clowns Dave. You go swat that fly for us!"

The doctor nodded and gripped his large club with a renewed smile. Seeing the tide of battle begin to turn, Skirge hissed and began to take off into the skies to escape. David immediately chased after the monster to the base of a tall palm tree and scooped up a fallen coconut. Thinking quickly, he tossed the coconut up and struck it with his club as if hitting a baseball. "Oh no you don't! Batter up!"

To the monster's surprise, the flying coconut rocketed upward and struck it head on, causing Skirge to crash back down to the ground in a heap. As it struggled to rise again David charged forward and made a leaping attack with his club raised high. As the weapon flared with a green aura, the Ranger brought it down on the monster in an earth shaking finishing blow, causing the bug to splatter into a dark smoke cloud of Hine Nui's evil magic.

As the other Rangers finished off their opponents and hurried over to David, they gathered around him to congratulate his efforts. Desmond threw an arm around the doctor with a wide grin, "Damn Dave... you really did take Alex literally and squashed that monster. Nice work!"

"More importantly, are you ok?" Alex asked him, "How are you feeling?"

David glanced over toward Naomi before giving a small smirk, "Honestly... a little worn out. If our natural resistance has been worn down from treating you guys, I hope I'm not coming down with something too."

The other three blinked in surprise before exchanging worried looks to each other. As Naomi turned in confusion toward David, she saw him give a small thumbs up while everyone else wasn't looking.

* * *

The next day, David and Naomi sat on the couch of the beach house watching television in their pajamas while the other Rangers buzzed about trying to make them comfortable. Although Hannah had to go to her college classes that day, Alex was already busy in the kitchen making chicken soup and sandwiches while Desmond occupied himself with doing all the house cleaning chores that had been neglected while they were sick earlier that week. As the Red Ranger sat scrubbing the outside windows of the patio, Cam walked into the living-room with a tray of tea and graham crackers.

After setting the snacks down, he poured the tea to their preference and fluffed their pillows again. "Ok... is there anything else we can do for you two?"

Naomi thought for a moment before faking a slight cough, "Well... there is one thing. My throat's kinda sore. Maybe some of my favorite coconut ice cream will make me feel a little better?"

The Blue Ranger frowned slightly, "But we're out of ice cream. That means I'll have to make a special run out to the store."

Naomi reached for his wrist while giving a pleading expression, trying her best to look cute and innocent, "Pleeeease Cameron?"

From the other end of the couch, the Green Ranger smiled, "I think she may be right. Scientific studies have suggested that ice cream is helpful for this sort of thing."

Cam narrowed his eyes skeptically before David spoke again, "Trust me... I'm a doctor."

The Blue Ranger rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh while heading out the door to go buy ice cream. After he left, David and Naomi gave each other a conspiratorial grin and exchanged a friendly high five.

After a few moments, David asked, "So... how long do you think we can keep this up... you know... faking being sick today?"

The Yellow Ranger shrugged, "After all we've been through? I think we at least deserve today off. Don't you think?"

David scratched his chin with a smile, "Well... it is nice being pampered a little. Sure. Why not?"

Naomi kicked her feet up and smiled, brandishing the remote control, "Great! In that case, I think this calls for a movie marathon!"

As nice as being the center of the action had been recently, at this moment David was more than happy to just sit back and let someone else take the lead. With a blanket over his feet and a cup of tea in hand, he was ready to enjoy a well earned day off.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **While Quinine in tonic water is in fact a remedy for Malaria, the Acerbissium medicine in this story is totally made up. There is no tree by that name. Instead, it was just based off the Latin word for "bitter."**


	15. Kaikamahine: Daughter

**Episode 8: Part 1  
**

The keening cries of the seagulls rang out over the sounds of the pounding surf as Naomi Sato stood in her small lifeguard tower putting sunscreen on her arms. It was already a sweltering summer day and the glare of the sun beat down oppressively on the crowd of beachgoers trying to cool off. In spite of the relative shade her tower offered her, Naomi still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She always hated when the beach was this crowded during tourist season. There were so many distractions and it was hard at times to watch over all the swimmers.

As she turned her head, she heard a familiar voice call out from below, "Hey! Is there room for a few more here?"

The young lifeguard glanced below to see her friend Desmond give a cheerful wave. Joining him were Cam and Hannah, and all three were dressed in their swimming attire. "Hey! I didn't expect to see you guys. What are you three doing here?"

Hannah pulled out a pair of orange swimming goggles and gave a shrug, "The three of us were free today, so we thought we'd go for a little swim here. I'm just glad we were able to catch you while you were on patrol, right Cam?"

The Blue Ranger stood quiet for a moment, distracted by how attractive Naomi looked in her yellow swimsuit before Hannah gave him a light nudge in the arm.

"Oh... uh, right," he muttered, thankful that he was still wearing his sunglasses.

Before he could say anything more, Desmond tore off his red floral Hawaiian shirt and tossed his towel in the Blue Ranger's face, "Come on everyone! We've been standing around long enough! Let's hit the surf already!"

"Everyone! Just be… careful," Naomi sighed to herself as Cam and Hannah took off running and charged into the waters after the Red Ranger.

Later that afternoon, Naomi gave a tired sigh as she handed a young crying girl back to her mother after treating the girl for a jellyfish sting. That's the way it had been shaping up today with all these swimmers and she was ready for a break. While she did take her responsibility towards others' lives very seriously, it was still kind of annoying at times and she occasionally wished she didn't have to worry about everyone else's safety so much.

As she walked back toward her tower from the shallow waters, she tied her long dark brown hair back in a ponytail before spotting her three friends camped out in the sands, drying off from their swim. While she neared, she suddenly heard the panicked cries of several people nearby and saw violent splashing erupt in the waters. Desmond and Cam immediately tensed and turned their gaze until they spotted a monstrous figure burst from the ocean.

All three Ocean Rangers gasped as they saw a dark starfish-like creature partially emerge from the water and shake itself off. The alien creature was an angry reddish orange color and lifted its body up on its five spiny legs. As it began moving forward in the shallows toward the beach, frightened tourists and beachgoers scattered in all directions, while a dark polished gem-like structure glowed from the center of its body.

"Whoah! That is one ugly cuss," Desmond remarked in shock while staring at the giant spiny skinned invertebrate, "One of Hine Nui's pets?"

"No doubt about it," Cam replied quickly as he readied his Ocean Bracer, "Come on Desmond, we've got work to do!"

Naomi watched as her two fellow Rangers morphed and charged out to meet the monster while Hannah scrambled up the lifeguard tower to try and radio for help. Deciding to help her friends, the Yellow Ranger morphed too and charged up the shallow waters, calling her twin serrated club weapons to her hands. As she neared, she saw Desmond strike first, plunging his spear into a spiny arm of the starfish creature The monster gave an angry squeal and thrashed its arm with surprising strength, causing the Red Ranger to hang on desperately.

To his relief, Cam rushed in and hacked off the arm with one stroke of his sharkfin blade. As the monster recoiled in pain for a moment, Cam helped Desmond regain his footing and pull his spear free from the monster's severed arm.

"Whew... thanks for the assist," Desmond sighed, but at that moment, the two Rangers watched in shock as a new arm suddenly grew in place of the stump left on the monstrous sea creature.

"Huh... I totally should have seen that one coming," Cam muttered as he and Desmond shifted into defensive stances. Before they could react further, they both looked up in surprise as the Yellow Ranger took a flying leap from the flank in a surprise attack.

"Stand back guys! I've got this!" Naomi called barging past them and quickly pummeling the monster with her rapid club strikes.

"Whoah! Watch it!" Desmond exclaimed in concern as he regained his footing and tried to aim his spear for another thrust.

Cam raised his own guard as he shouted, "Careful Naomi! We don't quite know what that thing can do yet!"

The Yellow Ranger ignored the two and continued to strike. She had been playing it safe and controlled all day. Now it was time to throw caution to the winds... literally. As she sheared off the tips of three of the monster's arms, she gasped in surprise as they instantly regrew and lashed out, knocking her weapons away in a flurry of counter blows. Before she could react, the monster reared it's body toward her and fired a powerful beam of gathered energy from the crystal in its torso.

The beam struck Naomi and blasted her back hard into the beach, causing her to demorph. The two male Rangers exchanged a look and Desmond broke away to help their downed friend. As the Red Ranger fell back, Cam charged his blade and made a great sweeping slash into the shallow waters kicking up a forceful wave of ocean water. The force of the sudden attack swept up the giant starfish and blew it back. As the wave subsided, the starfish stiffened its body and began to spin into the air like a whirling frisbee, heading back out toward sea in a temporary retreat. The Blue Ranger scowled and lowered his blade before powering down and rushing back up the beach were Naomi lay.

By now, Desmond and Hannah were there helping her sit up. As she did, Naomi winced and groaned, clutching her arm, "Ow! My arm!"

"Hang on Naomi, help is on the way," Hannah said gently beside her, "I radioed an SOS from your tower... I uh, hope you don't mind."

The Yellow Ranger simply whimpered in pain as Desmond rose to his feet, trying to put on a reassuring smile "Just sit tight. We'll have Dave take look at your arm and I'm sure he can fix you up, good as new... right Cam?"

Again, the Blue Ranger simply remained silent casting a frown out toward the ocean where the monster retreated back to.

* * *

Later that day, Naomi was taken to the hospital where David examined her injury and ruled it a sprained arm and a bruised shoulder. Having been notified of the accident, Naomi's father Mr. Sato personally came to pick her up and bring her back to the family home. While she would rather have returned home with Desmond and Cam, her father insisted she stay the night back in his mansion. By the time they returned, the early evening sun was beginning to set and the maids employed by Mr. Sato had already prepared a meal.

As a maid poured a glass of water and left the elegant dining room, Naomi sat glumly in her seat. Her right arm was restrained in a sling and she awkwardly poked at the food on her plate with a fork in her left hand. A few long minutes passed in silence, save for the clinking sound of utensils on expensive china and the ticking sound of an old large clock in the dining room. Across the old dark mahogany table, her father watched her for a moment and asked, "Is everything ok Naomi?"

She blew a strand of her hair aside and sat back in her chair, "Not really. This arm sprain totally sucks. I'm not going to be able to do much at work now. Even worse, I won't be a whole lot of good to the other Rangers."

Mr. Sato frowned and gave a deep sigh, "You're bringing all that up again? Maybe if you stopped to think about it... maybe this was all actually a good thing."

The Yellow Ranger glanced up incredulously as her father continued, "Maybe this is a sign you should start thinking about giving up being a Power Ranger... or maybe a lifeguard too. They can be dangerous jobs Naomi, and you're lucky you didn't get hurt any worse today."

The young woman put her fork down indignantly, "I am not going to give up my job Dad... and I'm especially not going to quit being a Power Ranger either! People need me!"

"But what good is that if you're so reckless Naomi?" her father answered sharply, "Ever since you were a little girl, you've always had to be so stubborn and hard-headed. I know you couldn't have gotten that from your mother."

"I'm sure if Mom were here, she'd want me to still be a Ranger too," she retorted, "She wouldn't want me to make excuses and be someone I'm not. I'm an adult now Dad. I don't need you to tell me how I should live my life."

"Is that what you think I do?" Mr. Sato growled, "Make excuses? I've worked hard and played it safe in my business to make sure our family was safe and well cared for. What are you trying to do Naomi? Hmm? Throw your life away being some kind of martyr? And for what?"

The Yellow Ranger rose abruptly from her seat in anger and stormed out of the dining room, "I don't have to listen to this. I'm going home Dad."

"You are home!" he shouted back from the table. It was no use. Moments later, he heard the front door slam before he put down his fork. As he let go of a deep breath, he angrily tossed his napkin aside on the table and shook his head in silence.

* * *

Later that evening, Alex stood in the kitchen of the beach house and removed the hot pan from the oven. As she set it on the counter top, she eyed the contents of the baked Hawaiian dessert carefully, "Well Bailey? What do you think?"

The petite young owner of the Silver Marlin restaurant shrugged and took a knife, cutting out a piece of the gooey brown coco butter _mochi_ they made, "Hard to tell... but there's only one way to find out. Cam! The next batch is ready!"

From where he sat at the kitchen table, Cameron sighed and put down the book he was reading. Walking over toward the two girls, he found the newest iteration of their experimental dessert shoved into his face for the fourth time in the night. "I still don't know how I got drafted into taste testing duty tonight."

Alex began preparing a fresh bowl of _mochi_ to cook another batch while stirring it with a wooden spoon, "Hannah mentioned she had two extra tickets to that country music concert on campus tonight, remember? Desmond and David beat you to the punch... I wonder why?"

"Maybe because they heard you were cooking?" the Blue Ranger muttered under his breath.

Alex huffed and raised the wooden spoon in a mock threat toward his nose, "You know what? I don't wanna hear it sailor boy. Now Bailey asked us to help her come up with a new dessert item on her menu. Are you gonna help me out, or not?"

"Relax Alex. I'll help. I'll help," Cam sighed raising his hands in surrender as Bailey handed him the plate. Before he could take a bite, the three of them turned around when they heard the front door open and close. Moments later, a tired and distraught looking Naomi entered the kitchen and glanced at her friends in surprise.

"Oh... I didn't know all of you would be here tonight," the Yellow Ranger said.

Alex raised her eyebrow slightly, "And we thought you were going to be staying at home with your Dad for the night."

The Yellow Ranger shrugged and began to walk past them toward the hallway and her room, "Yeah... about that... there was a slight change of plans. I decided to take a cab back here instead."

"Are you sure everything is ok?" Bailey asked gently in concern, "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Nope. Everything is fine. I'm just tired," Naomi answered evasively as she continued toward the hallway, "I'll just lay down and see you guys tomorrow, ok? Oh... uh... by the way, the _mochi_ smells really good too."

The three watched quietly as the Yellow Ranger disappeared from the kitchen and headed to her room. After a pause, Cameron took a bite of the Hawaiian dessert and gave a thoughtful look, "You know... I don't claim to be an expert with women, but even I know that when they say everything is fine in cases like this... it's generally not."

"Exactly," Alex answered, "Which is why I'll take care of this one. Knowing Naomi, she must have gotten into another big fight with her dad."

"You're going to talk to her?" Bailey asked curiously.

"Why not?" Alex winked, "I think this situations calls for a fellow girl's understanding."

Turning to Bailey and Cam, the Pink Ranger asked, "Do you think you two could go clear out for a while? Naomi's probably gonna want some extra space tonight."

"Really? I'm getting kicked out of my own home tonight?" Cam groaned.

Bailey took his arm and gave him a cajoling smile as she began to drag him out the back door, "Aw, cheer up Lieutenant. We can go back to my restaurant for a little while. I've also got a few new appetizers you can test for me too. What do you say?"

* * *

Meanwhile, dark waves lapped at the shores of the Phantom Isle as the ancient sea witch Hine Nui waited on the beach. After a few long moments, the monstrous sea star that had attacked Honolulu earlier emerged and slowly scuttled its way up the sand toward its mistress. As the creature stopped before her and rested itself on the sand, Hine Nui bent down and gently ran her pale bony fingers along its "head" in an almost loving way.

"There, there, my pet. You've returned to me. What mischief have you been up to hmm?"

The witch stroked one her pet's arms and noticed the fresh scuffs and scabs on its appendages before giving a venomous frown. "The work of Kanohi's warriors, no doubt."

The sea creature gave what almost passed as a huff before Hine Nui rubbed the dark crystal at the center of its body, "I know… but we must be patient… one of my most loyal generals is already on his way. Once that old shellfish decides to actually move, we can truly start renewing our little war against the island mortals."

Turning back to her pet, the witch curled her black lips into a malicious smile, "But until then my dear… I will need you to keep those pesky Ocean Rangers busy just a little while longer..."


	16. Malama Pono: Take Care of Yourself

**Episode 8: Part 2  
**

Naomi Sato sighed as she lay in her bed listening to the sound of the surf outside. Normally she found the sound soothing, but tonight she couldn't sleep. After having been injured and fighting with her father, the best she could do right now was to settle for a restless nap. Moments later, she heard a knock at her door and heard a familiar voice, "Naomi? It's Alex… can I come in?"

The Yellow Ranger rolled her eyes gently and sat up in bed, "Yeah, sure… why not?"

The door opened and Alex slowly stepped into the dimly lit room. Right away, Alex was struck by the eclectic décor of the bedroom. It was unlike the messy room of Desmond with clothes and scattered water color paintings laying about or the tidy orderly room of Cameron which contained a few nautical themed decorations. Instead, Naomi's room was much more floral and feminine. Along the walls and shelves were various pictures and artsy crafts reflecting the Yellow Ranger's dual Hawaiian/Japanese heritage. After a moment, the Pink Ranger took a seat at the desk chair and turned toward her fellow Ranger, "How's the arm?"

Naomi studied her friend for a moment before giving a sigh, "Sore."

Alex nodded thoughtfully, "How about your heart? You looked pretty upset when you came back earlier."

The Yellow Ranger glared at her but remained silent. Alex simply crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat waiting. After a minute of silence, Naomi spoke again with a little heat in her voice, "So I had another big fight with my Dad again, ok? You guys already know I have a… complicated relationship with him."

"Does it have to be?" the Pink Ranger asked gently.

Naomi grumbled, "He wants me to give up my lifeguard job, and we wants me to stop being a Power Ranger too."

"But you don't want to," Alex concluded.

"Of course not!" Naomi exclaimed, "I like keeping people safe as a job. It's a part of who I am, and it makes me feel good! I mean… I know it can be dangerous and all, but it's still my choice, right?"

Alex calmly studied her as a pause fell between them, "Are you trying to convince me and your father… or yourself right now?"

The Yellow Ranger huffed as she leaned back in her bed, "If my Dad had his way, my whole life would be planned out to the finest detail. I'd be in graduate business school selling high end real estate right now… I'd probably have some arranged marriage to a lawyer or local politician, and then become some demure housewife and mother to his grand-kids in a few years."

"Gee… that doesn't sound too bad to me," Alex joked lightly earning a warning glare for Naomi.

The Pink Ranger raised her hands in surrender, "Ok. Ok. I get it. Maybe that's not for you. But I don't think your Dad is being this way to be a tyrant either. He's probably just saying all this because he cares, you know? He's probably scared, and worried, and doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah right…" Naomi muttered petulantly to herself but Alex frowned with an edge of defensiveness.

"You might not realize it, but you're actually pretty lucky Naomi. You still have the luxury of having a living parent who is fussing over you and looking out for you. Maybe he's going about it the wrong way, but he's still there."

Naomi glanced up as Alex continued, "You already know that I lost both my parents early on. For my siblings and I… well, it was tough in learning how to deal with things sometimes. I wouldn't be honest if I said I wasn't a little jealous that you still have a father to turn to for help… even if you don't want it from him."

The Yellow Ranger looked down in silence and nodded, thinking over Alex's words and feeling a little rebuked for her own selfish attitude.

"I can see how important your own freedom is to you," Alex said quietly, "All your dad is asking is that you see it from his perspective. Just be careful, and don't be so reckless. I think the rest of the Rangers would agree with that too. Remember that we're also your friends and we don't want to see you get hurt either."

Alex sighed and rose from her chair. As she began to head out the door, she heard the Yellow Ranger call out from her bed, "Alex… thanks. You're right… and I'm sorry."

The Pink Ranger simply gave a quiet smile and nodded before gently closing the door and leaving her friend to her own thoughts.

* * *

The next day, Naomi woke up late and found a note left on the kitchen table telling her that the others would be at Bailey's restaurant for Sunday brunch. When she arrived, she found her friends spread out in the outdoor café area, busy with their own activities. In a corner booth, Hannah sat with an open textbook working on Calculus homework while David supervised her progress. Closer to the bar, Desmond sat happily eating some crab cakes with pineapple juice. Before he could finish, Bailey had already brought out another plate and set it in front of him with an extra sweet smile, "I'm glad you like my cooking Desmond! I thought you might like some more."

The Red Ranger gave a grateful smile and voiced an acknowledgment with a full mouth while at a nearby table, Cameron sat with a plate of experimental curry chicken that Alex had prepared and pushed on him.

As Naomi took a seat at that table, Alex crossed her arms, "Well? What do you think?"

Cam made a sour face as he chewed and swallowed, "Well... to be really honest... it kinda tastes like feet."

The Pink Ranger gave an outraged huff and pulled out the wooden cooking spoon she had been carrying and rapped him sharply on the head with it.

While the Blue Ranger rubbed his skull and grumbled in pain, Alex turned to Naomi and gave a pleasant smile, "Hey... you made it. How are you feeling?"

"Better," the Yellow Ranger answered, "You know Alex, I just wanted to thank you again for yesterday and..."

She was cut off as she heard people from the beach shouting in alarm. All the Rangers stopped and looked out toward the waters where Hine Nui's pet Starfish had returned along with a pack of undead Nightmarcher warriors. Desmond was the first to rise and tear off the bib he was wearing, "Thanks for the meal Bailey, but duty calls... uh, sorry."

Before he went to get the others and charge off into battle, he swiped one more crab cake from the fresh plate earning an amused smile from her. As the others rushed out to meet the threat, Alex put a hand on the Yellow Ranger's good arm, "Just hang back today Naomi. We've got you covered here."

Naomi could only watch as the others charged out on the beaches and morphed, clashing with the fresh wave of invaders. As they plowed past the first group of foot soldiers, the four Rangers were surprised as the monstrous sea star came whirling through the air like a discus and knocked them all down.

"I've had it with this guy," Desmond growled calling his spear and leveling it at the enemy, "Everyone, let's go all out and take it to em!"

The other three summoned their weapons and followed Desmond's lead, launching a direct aggressive attack on the monster. As each Ranger made a passing attack, the starfish reared up on it legs and used them to deflect and absorb the damage of the blows. Despite their coordinated assault, they couldn't break through the sea star's guard and found themselves hacking off limbs that kept on regrowing. The moment the Ocean Rangers fell back to regroup, the sea star raised its body and aimed the crystal at the center of its body toward them, firing a powerful beam of stored energy.

Even though they had all taken a defensive stance, the four Rangers were knocked backward and stunned from the force of the blast as the monster began to rear up and prepare for another spinning frisbee attack. From her spot near the restaurant, Naomi clenched her fist and moved to help her friends.

"Naomi, wait! What about your arm!" Hannah said trying to hold her back.

"The others need me," the Yellow Ranger answered giving a confident wink, "Don't worry. I'll be careful."

Back on the battlefield, the starfish creature began to whirl through the air in attack before it was caught in a sudden gust of air and thrown aside. From where they lay, the other Rangers looked up to see Naomi standing in their defense. She was morphed, but only carried one of her serrated clubs in her good hand. "Hold on everyone. I think I know how to take out that sea star."

She turned toward the monster as it recovered and charged forward, swinging its arms at her in a flurry. Instead of going on the offensive Naomi changed her tactics and used evasive, defensive movements to dodge and roll off the monster's attacks. Despite only being able to fight with one good arm, she held back and kept her guard up, using her agility to patiently weave through the starfish's tentacle like swings, while blocking its other blows.

Having snuck through her enemy's guard, the Yellow Ranger got into position and made a leaping attack, aiming for the large crystal at the center of the starfish. As her club connected with a resounding thud and cracked the crystal, Naomi tumbled sideways as the monstrous starfish thrashed in disoriented pain.

"Nice moves Naomi!" Alex cheered but the Yellow Ranger pointed her club forward.

"Desmond? Cam? I need you two to pin that thing in place for me."

"We're on it!" the Red Ranger responded charging forward with the others. Alex and David attacked first and blocked the sea star's counter attack while Desmond and Cam rolled in from the sides, driving their weapons into the monster's other legs. Having pinned the monster to the ground, the four Rangers dove out of the way as Naomi charged her one good club with yellow energy and hurled it directly at the center of the starfish's crystal with a wind assisted throw.

Everyone watched as the club shattered the crystal causing the Starfish to writhe and thrash before collapsing to the sands and burning away into dark purple smoke. As the other Rangers turned and gave cheers, Naomi glanced back towards the restaurant where Bailey and Hannah stood shouting encouragement and giving thumbs ups. Alex had been right, she thought to herself, there was some value to taking a moment to be careful and cautious during battle. In a way, her father had been right too, and she decided there was one other challenge she had left to face down today.

* * *

A gentle wind blew through the early evening air rustling the leaves of the palm trees as Naomi sat patiently on the park bench outside her father's office. As she waited, she watched groups of well dressed businessmen and office workers pass by to go home for dinner or happy hour at the local restaurants. Eventually, she spotted her father as he exited the glass doors out front of the buildings. After crossing the grassy flower lined walkway, the graying Japanese businessman approached her wearing a surprised expression, "Naomi… what are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you."

"Oh… well, I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd come by," she began hesitantly, "Um… do you mind if we just sit and talk a little?"

Mr. Sato gave a curious look before slowly sitting down beside her on the park bench, waiting quietly.

As the wind gently began to blow again, Naomi cleared her throat, "I was doing some thinking, and I wanted to apologize. I think I may have been a little out of line recently… especially over dinner the other day."

Mr. Sato turned his head and studied his daughter's face, "What brought all this about?"

The Yellow Ranger sighed, "A friend of mine talked to me and made me realize that I can be a little… selfish and stubborn sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Sato asked in amusement, lightly teasing her.

Naomi rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean Dad. But I also realize you said those things because you worry about me and my safety."

Mr. Sato nodded and gestured over toward one of the palm trees in the park, "Ever since you were a little girl. You remember that old breadfruit tree in our backyard? You would always climb up and down it like a little monkey."

"Until I fell and broke my wrist. I remember," Naomi answered with a gentle laugh.

He nodded and reached out putting his hand over hers on the bench, "I always worried, and I'll still worry. Losing your mother was difficult enough… for both of us. But the thought of losing you too? I don't think I could bear that."

"You shouldn't have to Dad," she said squeezing his hand back, "I know I don't always look before I leap, but I'll promise you that I'll try my best to be more careful in the future."

"Does this mean you're going to reconsider being a lifeguard, or a Power Ranger?"

Naomi shook her head, "No. That's not going to change. I know we still don't see eye to eye on lots of things, and we'll probably still have a lot of fights in the future… but I wanted to try and meet you halfway on this."

Mr. Sato gave her hand a light squeeze, "Thank you Naomi. I appreciate that. Do you still want to go and try again at having a nice dinner out tonight?"

"I'd like that," she replied rising from the bench and walking out of the park with him.

As they walked down the sidewalk, the older businessman gave a little sidelong glance. "So… this friend of yours who set you straight… I don't suppose it was one of those boys you're living with… probably not that fisherman with the long shaggy hair?"

Naomi glanced up in surprise, "What? No! When you say it like that, it just sounds really bad!"

"Or maybe that Navy officer, Lt. Monroe?" Sato said scratching his chin thoughtfully, "I kinda liked him. He seems like he could be a pretty good influence on you."

Naomi blushed slightly, "Cameron? I… no! It wasn't him either. I was talking to Alexandra! Why are you giving me the third degree all of a sudden?"

Mr. Sato simply fell silent and smiled to himself in amusement as he continued to walk down the sunset lit street, followed by his stubborn and now very embarrassed daughter.

* * *

Amid the swirling bank of shadowy clouds surrounding her Phantom Isle, Hine Nui stood on the beach with her gaze fixed on the horizon as the fading rays of the sun filtered through. She could tell that it had grown late and her pet sea star had not returned. In all likelihood, it had been destroyed in battle with Kanohi's Rangers. A slight frown crossed her face before she turned to walk back toward the interior of the island.

The loss of the sea star was disappointing, but ultimately meaningless to her. Considering she could conjure monstrous creatures at will with her dark sorcery, she might as well let those Ocean Rangers enjoy their little victory. She had greater things to prepare for.

As she began to walk back, she heard the sound of splashing in the dark surf and turned slowly to see a large figure emerge from the waters. It was a humanoid creature wearing natural plate armor and a helmet made out of stylized bluish gray mollusk shells. It moved slowly and methodically up the shallows until it reached the sea witch and dropped to one knee reverently. As it raised its head, it revealed a grotesque face with large eyes and tentacled mouth which seemed attached to its helmet. In all, the creature's head almost resembled that of a Nautilus mollusk.

"My Queen... I came as quickly as I could once I heard you were revived."

The sea witch regarded the shellfish warrior with a curious eye, "General Kuta... it's been much too long. Several hundreds of years, I imagine?"

General Kuta lowered his head and spoke again, "However long it may have been, my warriors are ready to fight for you again. We're ready to march on Oahu at your command."

Hine Nui stroked her chin thoughtfully and smiled, "Very good General... but I was thinking of attacking Oahu through a new, more... indirect approach.

Kuta raised his head and tilted it curiously "My Queen?"

Hine Nui clasped her hands and gave a feral smile, "I was thinking we'd start with the volcanoes of the Big Island of Hawai'i instead..."


	17. Huaka'i Kula: Field Trip

**Episode 9: Part 1  
**

Desmond Waihee stepped out on the patio of the beach house, armed with his trusty fishing rod and little tackle box. As the hot glare of the summer sun washed over his face, the Red Ocean Ranger glanced over to where his two housemates sat enjoying the lazy morning. Near the edge of the porch, Naomi lay out on a long lawn chair wearing her sunglasses. In her hands was a glass of lemonade and fashion magazine. Nearby, Cameron sat under the shade of the patio table methodically cleaning out his service pistol and humming a tune to himself.

"Off to catch dinner for tonight Desmond?" the Yellow Ranger cheerfully called, glancing up from her magazine.

"If the ocean gods are feeling generous," the fisherman grinned hopping down into the sand. He walked a short distance out to the shallows of the water until it was knee deep before casting his fishing line out into the distance. As he stood and waited for a bite, Desmond sighed contentedly, enjoying the relaxing feeling of the water on his legs while a fresh sea breeze cooled him from the heat of the sun.

After a few minutes of waiting, Desmond slowly began to reel the fishing line back in when he saw the red coral gem of his Ocean Bracer flicker. "Oh man," he sighed quietly to himself, "That old sea witch seriously needs to find another hobby... like fishing."

Without wasting any more time, the Red Ranger dipped his coral bracelet into the sea water and teleported away to answer the call of his tiki mentor.

* * *

The sound of chirping birds was heard from above as the five Ocean Rangers teleported onto the overgrown grounds of Ocean Point Temple together. Bright sunlight filtered in from the thick leafy palm trees overhead while small animals scurried away into the far corners of the temple ruins. As the five ambled from the sacred spring waters to the center of the temple grounds, they stopped before the great tiki Kanohi as its eyes and mouth lit up with unearthly light.

"Welcome Rangers. Thank you for coming so quickly," the statue said in his deep booming voice.

Desmond was the first to step forward and address the ancient kahuna while scratching his long dark shaggy hair, "It was no trouble Kanohi. I'm guessing Hine Nui is up to her old tricks again?"

"Indeed," the tiki replied, "But I fear she may have some additional help this time... beings who my tribe hadn't dealt with in quite some time."

"What sort of beings?"

Kanohi's voice became slightly more serious, "Long ago, the sea witch had allied with a race of monstrous creatures from the deep... shellfish warriors who take after the modern creatures you call mollusks."

"So Hine Nui's called in some reinforcements, huh?" Cam asked gravely, "You wouldn't happen to have any intel on them, do you?"

Kanohi gave a discouraged sigh, "Unfortunately I don't. It seems the present location of her servants are at the very limits of my ability to sense."

"How can that be?" Alex asked with a frown, "I'm assuming they're lurking around Honolulu, right?"

"No Alexandra. Hine Nui's forces aren't even on this island," replied Kanohi, "Instead, they are prowling around the Big Island of Hawai'i itself. From what I gather, they've been causing disturbances around the region of Kilauea."

Naomi gave a worried frown, "Kilauea? That's a really volcanic area. What do you think the monsters are doing all the way out there?"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," David surmised adjusting his glasses nervously, "I'm guessing we should zip over there right now and have a look, don't you think?"

The tiki's eyes flickered, "I'm afraid it isn't that simple David. The main island of Hawai'i is at the very edge of my reach in power. If you try to teleport from here, there's a fair chance you may be sent off course instead."

"I think Hawaii needs a better magical 4G network," Alex muttered quietly earning a few subdued chuckles from the others.

"I will work on a way to provide you with a better means of transport between islands, but in the mean time, you'll have to reach the Big Island by conventional methods," Kanohi said in an almost apologetic tone.

After a short silence, Desmond pounded his fist in his hand, "What about my boat? We can take _Luna_ out there and she can carry the whole team."

"How long do you think that's going to take?" Cam asked with hint of skepticism in his voice.

The Red Ranger pondered the question and shrugged, "We'll have to travel light. If you help man the sails and Naomi provides us some continuous wind power, we can probably make it to the city of Hilo in just under a day. It won't be easy, but it's do-able."

"Good luck Rangers," Kanohi said before the fires died down, "I will keep you informed of any further progress that I am able to make."

The moment the tiki became inert, Desmond turned to his friends and pumped a fist, "All right! The Big Island is in trouble. What are we waiting for?"

* * *

General Kuta stood atop a rocky sea cliff on the Big Island of Hawaii. From his vantage point, the monstrous mollusk warrior could see a small river of hot molten lava flowing down the side of a shallow volcano further inland. As the goopy red-orange lava flowed slowly off the sea cliffs, it fell into the oceans below and gave off clouds of thick angry steam. In a way, it suited this volcanic region, marked with its blackened rocky terrain and the sharp acrid smells of sulfur in the air.

The shellfish commander held his position and took an idle glance toward the patrols of undead Nightmarcher warriors who had fanned out and stood guard over their little beach-head. As they waited, Kuta turned to the small pool of sulfurous water he was standing near and spoke to the reflection of Hine Nui within it, "This is a very ambitious plan my Queen. I admit that I'm a little concerned for the safety of my own warrior."

The reflection of the sea witch nodded slowly, "Yes General, but it's a risk worth taking. You remember what happened to Krakatoa, the old volcano in Indonesia?"

Kuta nodded, "Yes, the volcano literally exploded and destroyed almost the entire island. What does that have to do with Honolulu?"

Hine Nui gave a diabolical smile, "If we can cause a magnified eruption in Kiluaea, the Big Island will be destroyed. The force of the blast will be sure to trigger a massive tidal wave to wipe out Oahu and the other islands in between, like Maui and Lanai."

In spite of his own tentacled maw, Kuta smirked to himself. It was an ingenious plan and truly evil at the same time. Should they succeed, the damage and death toll on the islands would be unimaginable.

"My servant should be returning soon. If his shell can withstand the heat of the lava, then we'll be able to carry out the next phase of your plan. I will keep you informed my queen."

"See that you do General," Hine Nui answered, severing their connection. As she did, Kuta looked up and saw one of his mollusk warriors emerging from the nearby river of lava. The creature's large shell glowed orange and red from the intense heat of the magma as the monstrous looking sea snail slowly trudged up to his commander and gave a slimy salute.

"The test was successful General. With help from the Queen's magic, my shell will be able to withstand the heat of the lava after all."

Kuta nodded, "Excellent work Nassarius. Gather a squad of the Nightmarchers. We'll set up a dig site further inland and begin the second part of our plan immediately."

The monstrous humanoid sea snail gave a nod and headed back toward the river of lava, waving over a few of the undead minions. General Kuta narrowed his eyes and looked back toward the ocean waters. Hine Nui had warned him about the possibility of Kanohi's warriors meddling in their schemes. While he was curious to meet these new human guardians for himself, it was the General's hope that if the Ocean Rangers did arrive to the Big Island, then it would already be too late.

* * *

Another powerful gust of wind swept across the open waters of the Pacific Ocean as Desmond held the wheel of his little ship firm. As the sails of the little fishing ship caught the wind, it picked up a little more speed and almost seemed to fly over the swells of the deep ocean water. It had been a long trip from Honolulu and the small boat _Luna_ had spent almost an entire day navigating the treacherous passages between the islands of Hawaii.

While the Rangers were technically out on the open oceans, most of them weren't quite aware just how perilous sailing between the islands could actually be. Depending on the season, ocean currents and winds from certain locations could cause great challenges to less experienced sailors. By his own admission, Desmond hadn't done a lot of long-distance inter-island journeys with his boat, but he sighed with relief as they finally came upon the comforting sight of the Big Island in the near distance.

By now, the sun was beginning to set and the glow was fading from the horizon. As the distant lights of the island city of Hilo began to turn on, the exhausted Red Ranger hoped they could reach a safe port by evening and anchor for the night. Further up toward the bow, Cam tiredly manned the sails, tightening and loosening lines to help Desmond stay in control while maintaining a reasonable speed.

At the very front of the ship, Hannah Johnson gazed out toward Hilo with wide eyes, admiring the beautiful sight of the new island. After Alex accidentally let slip that the Rangers would be gone for a few days on business, the teen insisted that she be able to come along too and help. After all, she had really proven herself to be a great assistant to the Rangers from the sidelines, and she seemed to have gotten a lot better at making up cover stories too. In this case, she told her parents that she'd be on a girl's weekend out with Naomi and Alex... which was technically true, if a little misleading.

While the others were somewhat hesitant about the idea, Desmond didn't mind an extra hand on deck for this kind of long journey. Besides, after a full day of sailing and navigating, he was too tired to care either. While Hannah continued to admire the scenery, Alex and Naomi stood near her taking pictures of the island as they made their approach. After giving a yawn, Desmond called out, "Ok girls, you'd better head down below with Dave. It's going to get a little rough before we strike sails and hit the next harbor."

As the girls made their way down below, Cam stopped and fixed his eyes on the lights of Hilo. "Nice sailing Desmond. We're almost home free," he sighed with a relieved smile.

The Red Ranger gave a nod and began to turn the wheel, "All right Cam, stay with me here. Ready about! Hard alee!"

The Blue Ranger grabbed the sailing lines and quickly began to make another adjustment while calling out a response, "Aye aye! Prepared to tack! Hard alee!"

* * *

After docking in the large port city of Hilo for the evening, the Ocean Rangers set sail for the volcanic region of Kilauea on the south eastern corner of the Big Island. Despite the fair weather they had enjoyed on the journey to the island, the morning was dark and overcast, with thick clouds threatening rain. As Desmond carefully continued to steer his boat toward the volcanic coastline, he was thankful that the winds had remained stable and the waves were relatively calm. Still, he had to find a safe docking point to land in case a rain storm did set in later that day.

The Red Ranger kept the wheel steady as Luna made its approach toward a shallow cove while the other Rangers gathered on the deck to observe the area. In the near distance, they could see the black rocky coastline lit up by a few small streams of hot lava slowly trickling into the waters. Despite the obscuring steam and the slightly unpleasant smell of sulfur in the air, the Rangers were mesmerized by the sight. The streams of glowing lava glowed and bubbled with strange alien beauty, but it also cast a foreboding hellish light over the entire volcanic area.

After dropping anchor in a safe inlet, the Ocean Rangers made their way ashore and hiked up a shallow slope to have a look around. As they scanned the nearby area from a small hill, Naomi ran her fingers through the dark soil and scooped up some unusual looking obsidian rocks made of dried lava. The Yellow Ranger held the rocks up for a moment and observed them curiously, "You know, it's too bad my cousin Leilani isn't here. I think she'd be really interested in studying these rocks."

Beside her, Hannah glanced over her shoulder, "Is she some kind of scientist or something?"

The Yellow Ranger shrugged, "Not yet. She's still a student, so right now it's more like a hobby."

Hannah took up a couple rocks in her hand and gave a thoughtful smile, "Well, why not grab a couple of these and take them with you when we head back to Oahu?"

Naomi shook her head gently, "I could... but it probably wouldn't be a good idea. It might upset Pele."

The younger girl raised a curious eyebrow, "Pele?"

"The goddess of fire, lightning, and volcanoes," Desmond explained from nearby, "Legend has it she is the deity responsible for creating the Hawaiian Islands."

Alex cast an idle glance around before kicking some volcanic dirt off her shoe, "Ok, but what does that have to do with taking rocks though?"

Desmond shrugged, "Our people have lots of superstitions and one of them is about if you take rocks off her islands. The legends say that if you disrespect her land, she places a curse on you to suffer terrible misfortunes."

Alex gulped and turned to the Green Ranger, "Dave... you're a man of science. You don't believe in that stuff, do you?"

"Objectively? No," he replied, "But I'd rather not tempt fate if I can help it… just in case."

Hannah gingerly placed the rocks back on the ground while Naomi tossed hers aside too, "I'm not one for our local superstitions either, but better to be safe than sorry, right?"

The Rangers' banter was immediately cut short as they heard a woman's cry for help. The six immediately tensed and fell silent as they hurried past some boulders and low hanging clouds of smoky steam. When they reached the shallow lip of a nearby hill, they saw what looked to be a young Hawaiian woman cornered by a group of Nightmarcher zombies. She looked to be some sort of scientist and cowered beside some of her fallen equipment on the volcanic ground.

"That's our cue everyone," Cam called, motioning the others forward to attack the Nightmarchers, "Kanohi was right after all. Where there's smoke, there's definitely fire!"

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **To answer the Guest reader question from last chapter, I do plan on an eventual Vanguard/Oceania teamup around mid-series (maybe around episode 20ish) Leviathan is likely to be involved, but I haven't worked out all the details just yet.**

 **As for crossovers with other writers, I haven't really thought much about it. If there are any other writers interested in doing a teamup with my Rangers, I might possibly be open to the idea. Thanks for the questions!**


	18. Nanahu: Embers

**Episode 9: Part 2  
**

The Nightmarchers had no idea what hit them as the five Ocean Rangers burst from the steamy haze and collided with them on the rocky field. Although they fought unmorphed, each Ranger called on their Ocean Dagger to help them fight against the undead minions. Cam and David were the first to strike as they slashed aside some foes and dropped their shoulders to take down another pair of zombies. Once the way was opened, Naomi and Alex blew past and somersaulted into the fray, taking another group of foes down with well placed kicks and thrusts from their weapons.

While the other Rangers engaged the undead patrol, Desmond charged forward and plowed into the Nightmarchers who were threatening the young Hawaiian woman. He grappled the closest one with a painful arm lock and kicked the other aside. As Desmond spun his grappled foe around and slashed it down, he whirled around in surprise as a third Nightmarcher snuck up on him preparing to bring its club down on the Red Ranger's skull. Before the Nightmarcher could strike, Hannah made a surprise attack from behind and smashed a large rock down on the foot soldier's head. As the coconut helmeted minion staggered, Hannah kicked it in the rear-end, knocking it flat on its face.

"Thanks Hannah! Nice save!" Desmond grinned to her before turning to the civilian, "Are you ok Miss?"

She gave a fearful look and nodded, watching as the other unmorphed Ocean Rangers drove off the remaining Nightmarchers. While the undead soldiers turned and fled back into the steamy fog, the Rangers regrouped around Desmond as he gently took the young woman by the shoulders and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She was a beautiful young Hawaiian woman with dark features and long black hair. She had an athletic build and by the looks of her clothing, appeared to be some kind of traveler, with a simple red sports t-shirt and khaki shorts.

"I... thank you. You saved my life," she stammered, "How can I repay you Mister..?"

"Waihee," the Red Ranger answered as he helped her rise, "Just call me Desmond. My friends and I won't let any of those coconut-headed goons hurt you."

"Those were Huaka' ipo..." the woman said, still visibly shaken, "Nightmarchers. I thought those monsters were only legends."

"Don't worry miss, you're safe for now," Cam nodded before turning to the others, "The thing that worries me is what a random patrol of Nightmarchers were doing around here in the first place."

Alex put a gentle hand on the Blue Ranger's arm before walking toward the civilian and offering her a drink from a canteen she was carrying, "First thing's first Cameron. Are you ok Miss? My name is Alex, and these are my friends, Cam, Naomi, David, and Hannah."

The civilian took a grateful sip of water and nodded, "My name is Penelope, and you six came just in time. Thank you."

"This region is dangerous Penelope," Desmond said in concern, "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

Penelope gestured over to some of her overturned gear nearby, "I'm a grad student from the University of Hilo's Geology program. I was hoping I could take some more seismic readings of the area because things have been a little unusual around here lately."

The Rangers all exchanged a silent look of concern before Desmond continued, "What exactly do you mean by, unusual?"

Penelope made a thoughtful frown to herself, "Well... for one thing, the volcanoes around here have been much more active recently. Maybe you six saw all those little rivers of lava flowing out into the ocean?"

"Actually we did," David nodded, "Something tells me that there's more to the story though."

Penelope picked up her heavy backpack, "Yes. From our studies of plate tectonics, we've determined that several of these volcanoes have certain patterns of activity that are somewhat predictable. Of late, these smaller volcanic vents have been much more erratic and violent in their reactions."

"Yup, Leilani would really be having a field day now," Naomi sighed to herself, "What does all that mean?"

Penelope gestured over toward a large towering rock formation in the distance, "That is Mount Kilauea. The magma tubes here feed into the main shield volcano. I have concerns that whatever instability is going on here may be a signal of something larger going on inside the main volcano."

Hannah cast an apprehensive look toward the distant volcano and bit her lip thoughtfully, "You don't suppose the Nightmarchers here were actually trying to screw around with the volcano here... do you?"

Cam narrowed his eyes and gave a serious frown to himself, "It makes sense Hannah. If something bad happens to that volcano, then it's going to affect all the big villages and cities nearby, like Hilo."

Desmond gave a nod of understanding before turning back to the Rangers' new friend, "Penelope, my friends and I came here by boat. I want you to go there and wait for us while we have a look around. As long as you stay on the boat, you should be safe from any more monsters."

The young Hawaiian woman shook her head stubbornly, "Not a chance. I'm coming with you. I know this region very well and can give you the lay of the land. Besides, strength in numbers, right?"

The Rangers exchanged another silent look with each other, visibly uncomfortable with the idea of an unsuspecting civilian joining their search effort. Still, Penelope made a strong argument. This was new territory, and with only limited help from Kanohi, Penelope could serve as a valuable guide. Sensing the silent debate of the group going on, Desmond finally, nodded, "Ok Penelope. You can come... but the moment we run into any danger, you keep your head down and stay out of sight from the monsters, ok?

The young woman gave an eager smile and hefted her pack, "All right. Let's get to the bottom of this mystery then!"

* * *

Meanwhile, further inland, General Kuta, the mollusk warrior Nassarius, and a pack of Nightmarchers made themselves busy digging out large deep trenches toward the slow moving rivers of molten lava.

"Hurry it up you dead-heads!" Kuta shouted angrily toward some of the Nightmarchers struggling to burrow another little underground tunnel. After giving another growl, Kuta turned to his own minion and cast a curious eye on the monstrous sea snail, "You're prepared to tamper with another lava tube Nassarius?"

The mollusk servant nodded and tapped its large thick shell, "Yes General. If we can keep tampering with these tunnels feeding into the volcano, we should be able to start getting reactions soon."

Kuta shifted impatiently, "We may be doing a form of siege engineering here, but explain to me how this will work again?"

Nassarius nodded with a little bow, "Of course sir. We'll burrow trenches and tunnels here to connect the magma from the lava tubes to the water in the ocean. If we can do it in such a way to flood the tubes, there will be huge buildups of steam and gases trapped in the tunnels with nowhere to go. If we can link those efforts together, we may be able to cause a chain reaction in the central volcano. With enough steam and gas built up, the entire region may very well explode too.

The General nodded in understanding, "Good. Keep up the pace. When the time comes, we'll need your shell to undermine the last of the tunnels, so don't do anything stupid."

Nassarius bowed again before getting back to work, leaving Kuta to wait. That was fine for the monstrous commander. Any minute now, a Nightmarcher scouting patrol would be returning to give a report and he was very curious to know what else was going on in the island.

* * *

Some time later, the Ocean Rangers and their geologist guide made their way down another ridge, detouring around a few smoldering rivers of lava. As David reached out and helped Hannah make her way down the incline and join the others, the teen gave a sigh, "Well, all this side-stepping is kind of a pain in the butt, don't you think?"

Penelope turned and cast a slightly amused smile to the younger girl, "Maybe, but around here, you have to be careful where you step. The ground can often be unstable, or if you're very careless, scalding hot from drying lava.

The other Rangers gulped quietly, trying not to think about accidentally walking right into a pool of magma. As they made their way further inland, they began to notice the artificial earthworks created by the monsters. Not surprisingly, David was the first to notice and he stopped before the mound of earth, "Hey, this looks odd. What do you think it is?"

Penelope scrutinized the mound and scanned their surroundings, "It's not natural, I can tell you that. My best guess... it looks like the top of some kind of tunnel, or burrow an it's leading toward the volcano."

"Weird," Alex agreed while she paced around the edge of the tunnel roof, "Do you think it has some kind of connections to those lava tubes that Penelope was talking about?"

Cam crossed his arms pensively, " I have a feeling that if we follow this tunnel, it'll lead us right to Hine Nui's troops."

After following the earthworks for a ways, the Rangers finally came upon an lava river which the tunnel fed into. As they all took cover behind some boulders and rises in the blackened terrain, they spotted two monsters sending off a company of Nightmarchers into the volcanic fog. The two creatures were different in appearance than the other monsters they had recently fought. Instead, the two figures wore armor made of sea shells and seemed to take on a slightly more martial appearance.

Desmond turned to the geologist with a serious expression, "Penelope, you need to stand back keep out of sight. I promise you'll be safe here. Hannah, you'll keep an eye on her?"

The younger blonde girl nodded and put a hand on Penelope's shoulder, "You can count on me Desmond. Do your thing."

The Red Ranger glanced to the others and gave a nod, "Ok everyone, let's go stop those monsters from harming the island any more."

He rose from his hiding place along with the others and began to approach the monsters, using the obscuring steamy mist for cover. When they neared, he called out to the enemies, "All right! That's far enough shell brains!"

From where he stood by the lava river, General Kuta turned around slowly and cast a baleful eye on the newly arrived Ocean Rangers. The five of them stopped in their tracks, shocked and slightly taken aback by the hideous appearance of the mollusk general.

"Oh wow... now that is really gross," Naomi said recoiling slightly in disgust.

Kuta simply laughed, "So... you five must be the Ocean Rangers... warriors of that old shaman Kanohi."

"And just how do you know that, squid face?" Alex called out in an aggressive challenge.

The General laughed again, "My queen Hine Nui has told me much about how you five have been interfering in her plans. That is why I am here. I am General Kuta, Commander of the Benthic Armies."

"Whoever you are, we're not going to let you harm the people of this island, or tamper with its volcano either!" Cam called back bravely.

Kuta glanced over toward Nassarius and calmly waved him away. To the Rangers' surprise, the shellfish subordinate retreated into his shell, and threw himself into the river of lava. Turning back to the Rangers, Kuta drew forth a fearsome hook shaped halberd. "I'm afraid it's already too late for that Rangers, but if you still insist on having a fight, then I will give you one.

Desmond raised his Ocean Bracer with a determined growl, "Who are we to refuse such a generous offer? Rangers?"

"Point Break!" the four answered as they raised their own coral bracelets and were engulfed in a splash of colorful energy.

Hannah watched calmly from the sidelines as the Rangers morphed, all while keeping a restraining hand on Penelope. As the Rangers emerged from the swirling watery transformation, they summoned their weapons with Desmond leading the way.

 _"Fierce as the Raging Volcanoes, Red Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Steady as the Surging Tides, Blue Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Free as the Howling Winds, Yellow Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Vibrant as the Verdant Earth, Green Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Bright as the Shining Sunlight, Pink Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Riding the Waves to Victory!"_ they called together taking a ready stance.

Desmond twirled his spear and ignited the bladed head as he charged forward toward General Kuta, "All right! Surf's up Rangers!"

Kuta snorted in contempt and raised his halberd, parrying aside Desmond's charging spear thrust. As Desmond stumbled past, Cam followed up and assaulted the shellfish general with a flurry of quick slashes from his own saber. Without flinching, Kuta skillfully used his halberd to deflect the Blue Ranger's strikes, before spinning the weapon and surprising the Ranger with a counterattack. Cam gasped and raised his guard just in time to block the strike, but the force threw him aside and knocked him off his feet.

David and the two girls attacked together next unleashing a storm of furious weapon attacks. The general stood his ground and methodically addressed each one calmly. As David brought his club around in a heavy strike, Kuta blocked the blow and turned the halberd down to trip the Green Ranger. That motion allowed him to recover and bring the other end of the weapon around to swat Naomi out of the air as she took a leaping strike toward him.

While the Yellow Ranger was swept sideways, Alex hopped over David's prone form and attempted to get in a punch with her coral knuckle weapons, but Kuta turned his head and opened his tentacled maw, blinding her with a cloud of inky smoke. As the Pink Ranger was thrown backward, momentarily disoriented, the Rangers regrouped around her and helped her up.

Before they could prepare to launch a second wave of attacks, the ground began to tremble and jets of hot scalding steam began to erupt from the ground. Kuta smiled as he observed the sight. "It's been fun meeting you Ocean Rangers, but it looks like Nassarius is well on his way to triggering that volcano. If you survive the eruption on the island, then perhaps we'll meet again."

As another blast of volcanic steam erupted from the ground, the Rangers shielded their eyes, only to find that when the smoke cleared, that Kuta was gone. Desmond growled in frustration and pounded the butt of his spear into the ground, "Damn! He got away!"

"Forget about Kuta," Naomi called from nearby, "Those mollusks are after the volcano. Whoever that Nassarius henchman is, he's already on the way."

Cam nodded solemnly as the Rangers all powered down, "Naomi is right. We've got to clear out of here and try to find a way into the volcano to intercept that monster."

At that moment, Hannah and Penelope hurried over to join the group and Penelope gaped in awe of the five young heroes before her. "You five... you're Power Rangers... I didn't... I mean... wow."

David stepped forward and fixed Penelope with a serious expression, "Penelope, this is very important and we're going to need your help now. Do you know of a way we can get into the volcano from here?"

The geologist shook off her awe and composed herself, "I... uh... yes. Yes, there should be a tunnel system not far from here. Follow me, I'll take you."

With the weather conditions worsening and the volcanic pressures of the region increasing, the Ocean Rangers could only hope that they could reach the central volcano in time. General Kuta's henchman already had a head start, and if he succeeded, there would be a massive disaster that the Rangers would likely not survive either. All they knew for certain, was that failure was not an option.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Benthic: reference to the lowest level of a body of water, such as the Benthic Zone being the absolute deepest darkest points of the ocean.**


	19. Imu: Underground Oven

**Episode 10: Part 1  
**

As the Ocean Rangers quickly made their way across the volcanic plains to the base of the volcano, Penelope directed them into a shallow rocky cave just as the dark skies began to open up and pour rain. Dirty, wet, and exhausted, the Rangers took refuge in the little rocky inlet to wait out the rain while taking a well deserved breather from the day's travels.

While the seven enjoyed their brief rest, lightning flashed in the skies and an ominous peal of thunder reverberated in the air, seeming to rattle the whole cave mouth around them. David sat on the ground wiping his glasses while Naomi and Alex stood off to the side shaking out their wet hair from the rain. Across from them leaned up against the rocky wall, Hannah and Cam sat next to each other, chatting quietly and sharing a couple granola bars they had brought along.

At the front of the cave mouth, Desmond sat on a rock acting as a lookout before he took a moment to observe his friends. Giving a content nod, he turned back to the opening of the cave and continued to watch the rain falling outside.

"Hey, would you like some water?" Penelope said as she walked over and offered her own canteen to the Red Ranger.

Desmond thanked her and took a big sip of water as she sat down across from him. As the sounds of the pouring rain continued to drum along the hot steamy grounds, she gave him a curious smile, "You're worried... aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Desmond answered, idly glancing back over toward her, "This is probably the most dangerous situation we've been in yet. This place is crawling with Nightmarchers. We've got to worry about that new General Kuta guy, and this whole area is getting ready to blow up from right under our feet."

"Sounds like a lot to worry about," Penelope said calmly as she took her canteen back and took a drink too. "You almost seem like you're taking this a little personally though."

Desmond frowned to himself as he watched the rain fall outside, "I don't know… I just hate the thought of those new monsters also trying to destroy the islands too. When I was very young, my parents had taught me how important it was to love and cherish the land around me. I might just be a simple fisherman, but those monsters have no respect at all for the all the sacred beautiful things here."

"Even the volcanoes?" Penelope asked curiously.

The Red Ranger nodded, "Especially those. Everyone is right to be afraid of how the lava destroys things, but many don't realize how it helps in the growth of the islands too... how it shapes the land, and makes the soil rich so that new life can grow here."

Penelope gave a warm smile and nodded, "Well spoken Desmond. I take it that's your element or something too, right? That whole heroic Fierce as the Raging Volcano line is yours?"

Desmond's expression softened a little and he nodded with a smile, "Yeah… I guess so."

"You sound like you really love these islands," Penelope observed, "It's a noble thought... and I think you were right to be chosen as a Power Ranger."

Desmond shrugged, "It's my home. Doing everything I can to protect it is the least I can do. Don't you feel the same way?"

Penelope gave a thoughtful nod before removing a small bracelet from her wrist and offering it to the Red Ranger, "Well, if you plan on saving the island, then I want to do my part. Please… take this."

Desmond glanced down curiously at the beautiful bracelet made of black stones which almost resembled tear drops in shape.

"These stones are a unique type of rock called Pele's Tears," Penelope explained, "They're made from volcanic lava that turns into a glassy black stone when exposed to air."

Desmond shook his head and offered it back, "Penelope… thank you, but I can't take this."

She smiled gently and closed his fingers back around the jewelry, "Please, take it Desmond. It's a good luck charm, and if you're going to save my home island, then you Rangers are going to need all the luck you can get. I may just be an ordinary geologist, but this is the best way I can help you."

The Red Ranger looked at her for a long moment, lost in her eyes before relenting with a small nod. "All right… and thank you again."

Before he could say anything more, the moment was broken as Hannah stepped forward and glanced out the cave entrance, "Hey, it looks like the rain is letting up. Do you think we should get moving again?"

Desmond blinked and looked outside to see the afternoon's tropical shower begin to taper off. He nodded toward Hannah and gave a distracted nod, "Uh… yeah. Could you gather the others for me?"

As Hannah made a thumbs up and went to find the others, Penelope gave Desmond an encouraging smile. She clapped him on the arm, and tilted her head outside, "All right then fearless leader, I'm ready to go whenever you are."

* * *

After a short walk from the cave, the Rangers' geologist guide led them into a narrow opening at the base of Mount Kilauea. As they glanced upward, they could already feel the stifling heat in the air and see plumes of smoke rising lazily from the top of the formation.

"This is totally insane," David mumbled to himself in dread, "I'm a doctor… not a volcanologist."

Cam rolled his eyes gently and gave his friend a little encouraging push from behind, "All right Bones McCoy, keep on moving. You're still a Power Ranger, remember?"

Penelope continued to lead the way deeper toward the center of the volcano until they came to an open cavern. The Ocean Rangers stopped as they saw the cavern lit up in orange red light by a large pool of churning molten lava. The air was hot and stifling from the heat of the magma and the seven companions could feel beads of sweat beginning to form on their brows. At the far edge of the cavern entrance, the seven gasped as they spotted the same sea snail warrior they had seen earlier. The mollusk named Nassarius was attempting to push a large boulder into the lake of lava.

"Hey back off snail breath! What do you think you're doing?" Desmond called stepping forward to try and draw the monster's attention. The other Rangers took ready stances and began to spread out as best they could, despite their limited room.

"You pests again?" Nassarius growled as he turned around, "I thought General Kuta would be enough to scare you off."

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Alex called cracking her knuckles.

The monster laughed and tucked itself back into its shell before throwing itself into the fires, "Gladly!"

To the Rangers' shock, the sea snail monster erupted from the fiery lava several moments later and rolled its round shell across the narrow cavern. As the creature tumbled down the ground like a molten fireball, its red hot shell spurred the Rangers to quickly morph and scramble away in panic.

"Gangway everybody!" Cam shouted as he pulled a startled Desmond clear toward the wall of the cavern. Despite his effort, the fiery rolling sea snail clipped the Blue and Pink Rangers, causing them to demorph from the intense heat.

Having been caught off guard, David and Naomi both took defensive stances and tried to call up an elemental counter attack to halt the molten mollusk. To their shock, Nassarius rolled right through their powers and plowed right into them. As David and Naomi fell over stunned and demorphed, the monster skidded quickly to a halt and emerged from his shell to change direction. It gave a sinister laugh as it turned around to face them while preparing to come back around for another rolling attack. "Did you like the hot lava Rangers?"

To everyone's surprise, Cam rose to his knees and quickly pulled out his Beretta M9 service pistol, taking aim directly at the creature, "Not as much as you'll like hot lead, shell-face!"

The Blue Ranger pulled the trigger and unloaded his entire clip of ammo while the sharp cracks of gunfire echoed in the cavern. The mollusk warrior staggered as the hail of bullets struck him in the chest. Showers of sparks erupted from the impact of the bullets while the shell-like armor plates around the front of the monster's torso cracked slightly. Nassarius curled up and quickly rolled past the Rangers in an evasive maneuver to dive back into the safety of the volcano's lava. To their surprise, it used its momentum to smash into the nearby boulder and knock it into the magma along with the mollusk warrior himself.

"Whew! Nice shooting Cam," Alex remarked in relief as she helped him back up to his feet.

Desmond, who was the only remaining morphed Ranger, clenched his fist, "Yeah, but that shellfish is getting away. We've got to do something."

David frowned, "I'm not sure the rest of us will be much good right now. I'm guessing our powers have to recharge a little after getting demorphed like that."

"Then let me go after that monster," Desmond insisted, "I'm the only one who can right now."

Hannah shook her head indignantly, "Are you nuts Desmond? You might be a Power Ranger, but you'll never make it in that furnace."

Penelope furrowed her brow grimly, "Something has to be done. My guess is that creature is going to try and use that boulder to block up one of the primary lava tubes nearby after flooding it."

David scratched his head, "I don't understand. What are the mollusks after?"

Penelope turned a hard gaze on him, "I think they mean to flood the volcanic arteries here with sea water, then block it up."

Cam's eyes suddenly went wide with horrified understanding, "That will turn this entire volcano into a giant pressure cooker! They mean to blow the whole thing up! If they do..."

"Everything from here to the island of Kaui could be leveled by a resulting tidal wave," Naomi gasped to herself, coming to the same conclusion, "It's like Krakatoa all over again."

Desmond growled and clenched his fist again, "That's not going to happen! Not if we can help it! I'm going after Nassarius, and that's final."

Alex cast a worried look over to the Red Ranger, "Desmond! Please don't!"

He shook his head, "I'll be in my element... kinda. I'm fierce as a volcano remember? Besides, if this place goes up, I'm going to need the rest of you to get clear so we can still try to take the fight to Hine Nui. Cam, you know how to sail so I'm putting Luna in your hands for now."

The Blue Ranger ground his teeth in frustration, "This is the stupidest plan you've ever had Desmond, but we don't have many other options."

Desmond nodded, "I know. I'm going to try and take down that monster and escape through a lava tube leading out to the ocean. I'm going to need the rest of you to pick me up when I take a swim, ok?"

Cam silently grimaced before fixing Desmond with a solemn expression and slowly extending a hand, "I'll have the boat ready and waiting. You'd better not be late Waihee."

The Red Ranger smiled and clasped his hand, "Thanks roomie... now get going you guys."

As the Blue Ranger led the others out of the caverns to escape the growing heat, Penelope paused a moment to clasp Desmond's wrist, "Don't forget about my bracelet, ok? Say a prayer to the old gods for luck."

The Red Ranger nodded as she made her escape behind the others. Taking a deep breath, Desmond pulled out the black volcanic stone bracelet and put it around his wrist, "Ok Pele, if you're there... I could really use a hand from you right about now."

As he said that, Desmond cried out in alarm as the rocky cavern platform he was standing on suddenly gave way and he plunged into the raging fires of the volcano.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Ocean Rangers raced across the blackened charred landscape of Kilauea back toward the coastline and the safety of the little boat Luna. They hated the idea of leaving behind Desmond, but right now, they were unable to fight and trying to argue with the hard-headed Red Ranger was going to be an impossible task. As they ran, geysers of super-heated gas and steam erupted around them, adding to the obstacle course they were already running. Between the low visibility, rough terrain, the lava rivers, and the geysers, this was quickly becoming a disastrous expedition.

After leading the others through the volcanic minefield, Cam turned to reach out and help Penelope over a large gaping crag in the earth. Before he could, a hot geyser of steam erupted, separating Penelope on the other side of the rock formation. As the geyser erupted, another fissure opened up and volcanic flames began to spew from the crack, kicking up an intimidating wall of flames.

"Penelope! Jump! You have to move now!" Naomi called in panic, shielding her face from the intense heat.

The other Ocean Rangers stood in shock as Penelope calmly stood in place with a serene smile on her face. She began to shake her head, "No... this is it. I can't go any further."

Hannah's eyes went wide, "What? Girl, are you insane too? Hurry up!"

Penelope looked to smoke shrouded skies for a moment and shook her head again, "Don't worry about me. Just get back to your boat... I promise everything will be fine."

As the flames grew higher and drove back the Rangers with its intense heat, they heard Penelope calling, "Thank you for everything Rangers."

Naomi blinked again and stared in horrified awe at the growing fire storm in front of them, "Penelope! Is she...?"

Cam took her by the shoulders and quickly pulled her away, urging the others to retreat further toward the coastline, "Come on Naomi! There's nothing more we can do for her now!"

As the Rangers continued to flee the fiery volcanic fields, they could feel the intense heat at their back and knew with a growing dread that the flames were only going to keep getting higher.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_  
 _ **Before any military folks jump all over me, yes. Active duty personnel are almost never allowed to carry firearms anywhere, unless they're in a combat zone. Due to the very "unusual" nature of Cam's duty as a Power Ranger, let's just say the Admiral in Pearl Harbor gave him special written permission to carry a concealed handgun to fight the monsters... just in case.**_ **;)**


	20. Ka wahineʻ ai honua: Earth-Eating Woman

**Episode 10: Part 2  
**

Desmond screamed in terror as he tumbled into the lava and felt the intense suffocating heat on his Ranger suit. To him, it was like diving headfirst into the Sun itself. He thrashed his arms helplessly in the searing fires, fearing that his suit would give out any moment and cause him to be instantly incinerated. To his surprise, he saw the black stone bracelet that Penelope had given him begin to glow. In an instant, the black tears became beads of beautiful red glass that resonated and engulfed him in a protective aura.

The Red Ranger slowed his thrashing and relaxed as the heat dissipated and he felt a strange buoyancy within the lava. In a way, it almost felt like he was scuba diving underwater, granted it was extremely hot molten "water." Also surprising to the Red Ranger was the fact that his vision became clearer and he could almost see through the bright lava as if it were swimming in the ocean.

"Whoah…" Desmond murmured to himself as he glanced at Penelope's transformed bracelet. "This is too weird."

He didn't have much time to contemplate his situation as he caught a glimpse of the mollusk warrior Nassarius rolling through the lava currents toward a large tube leading out of the volcano. In front of the monster was the huge boulder he was pushing along to block the way. Whatever was going on here, Desmond knew he had to stop that thing, and fast. He summoned his spear and took off swimming deeper through the lava as fast as he could to catch the creature.

In no time flat, the Red Ranger kicked his legs furiously and surged toward the mollusk warrior from the side. Giving a shout, Desmond lowered his shoulder and put all his weight into the monster, body checking it aside and causing the boulder to roll off course. As Desmond gripped his spear, he heard the mollusk give an angry growl from within his shell, "Red Ranger? How did you even get all the way down here?"

"That doesn't matter," Desmond answered heatedly, "All that matters is stopping you from blowing this island up."

The monster laughed and began to roll through the lava before it plowed into Desmond and rolled him deeper into the volcano, toward the arterial tubes of the mountain. "We'll just see about that!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Desmond gave a panicked cry as he was pushed deeper and deeper against his will. In this form, the shelled monster was just too large and strong for him to take by himself. As they continued to sink further into the fires, Desmond noticed a spot on the shell of Nassarius that appeared to glow a different, redder color. The Red Ranger looked closer and saw that the shell was damaged and broken… most likely that was the spot where Cam's gunfire and cracked the mollusk's armor.

Desmond gripped his spear and turned it around to bring the spearhead down on that spot of the cracked shell. With a furious shout, Desmond hammered that spot several times with powerful downward thrusts before he pierced through the shell and began to use his weapon as a lever.

"What? What are you doing to me?" the mollusk roared in fury while the Red Ranger pried open the shell further, letting volcanic lava seep in.

"Cooking up some escargot!" Desmond grinned, breaking open the top of the monster's shell and diving free.

The Ranger turned and watched as the mollusk warrior careened deeper into the volcano, screaming in pain as lava flooded its shell and immolated it from the inside out. Moments later, Desmond watched as the Red hot shell cracked open and exploded in a momentary blaze of dark magic.

As he gave a sigh of relief, Desmond scanned his surroundings and looked for an escape route. That was when he spotted some particularly violent bubbling and churning coming from another arterial tube of the volcano. He swam closer and saw that the lava tube was blocked up with rocks, likely the monster's doing. The resulting impasse had caused a large buildup of gas and steam which was stirring up the magma in a violent reaction.

Desmond gritted his teeth and swam over, driving his spear into the rubble. He hoped that by trying to pry the rubble loose and freeing up the tube, it would help stabilize the volcano. As he pulled and strained, the Red Ranger began to feel a twinge of fear and hopelessness. Despite his enhanced Ranger strength and his current invulnerability to heat, he still was not strong enough.

That was when he felt a pair of gentle hands supporting him from behind, helping him pull against the weight of the heavy rubble. How could that possibly be? He was by himself and there was no possible way any other human could survive within the depths of the molten lava. He began to turn his head to look, but the gentle feminine hand reached up from behind and touched his cheek, turning back toward the task at hand.

"Don't give up fisherman. You're almost there," came a woman's voice. Even more strange, she was speaking in his native Hawaiian language. The Red Ranger frowned as he continued to pull. It was hard to make out amid the bubbling sounds of magma and the churning of the volcano, but he could almost swear that it was Penelope's voice. But again… that was impossible!

Just then, the rocks shifted and the pile suddenly began to give way. He had succeeded in freeing up the blockage and the lava began to flow again. As the magma poured out of the volcano tube and gas safely released from the vent, Desmond struggled to grip one of the rocks so he wouldn't get caught up in the sudden pull of the escaping lava.

That was when he felt the same arms that had helped him before, wrap themselves around his neck in a gentle hug. The Ranger turned his head and caught a flowing plume of what looked to be black hair on his visor, blocking his vision momentarily.

"Thank you Desmond," the woman's voice said again, "Now go free with my blessing."

The Ranger felt the mysterious woman bring her face next to his and give a soft kiss on the cheek of his helmet before releasing him. To his shock, he was sucked into the lava tube and pulled along by the current of magma out toward the ocean.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the coastline, the remaining Ocean Ranger scrambled aboard the small sailing ship they had come in. Cam was the first to bound up Luna's decks toward the helm and grab the wheel. As he did, he issued hurried orders, reverting back to his Naval conditioning, "David, start cranking up the anchor! Alex and Hannah, you two prepare to release the sails and pull those lines over there when I give the word! Naomi, we need you to call up wind gust with your Bracer to get us clear of the shore!"

While they scrambled at their tasks to launch the boat, the skies had grown dark again and the waves began to grow choppy. After a few tense minutes, David gave a thumbs up from the anchor well as Alex and Hannah dropped the sails. Upon seeing this, the Yellow Ranger summoned a gust of wind from her Ocean Bracer to fill the sails and begin propelling them. As Cam turned the wheel hard and began to maneuver the ship away from the shore, he cast a worried glance toward the dark billowing smoke rising from the volatile Mount Kilauea. He could only hope Desmond was able to stop the monster and avert disaster.

"Anchors away," he muttered grimly to himself as Luna began to set sail further up the coast toward the lava tubes leading out toward the oceans.

* * *

Desmond howled in both fear and exhilaration as he flew through the large lava tubes and was carried by the current. To him, this was now like riding a giant scary water slide without the water. As the pressurized stream of lava flowed up a gradient, the current picked up until the Red Ranger found a light at the end of the tunnel. Giving one more triumphant whoop, he burst from a volcanic cliff vent amid a cloud of steam before pitched forward into the ocean waters below.

Desmond gasped and sighed in relief as the heat dissipated and he felt the cooling temperature of the waters around him. Despite the choppy waters, the Red Ranger kicked his legs and surfaced from the waters to scan his surroundings. As he tread water, he saw Luna approaching from the shallows and turn in his direction.

"I see him! Over here!" David shouted in joy from the bow of the boat, "He actually made it!"

A short time later, the exhausted Red Ranger was hauled back up over the side of the boat and warmly greeted by his five friends.

"Thank goodness you're ok," Hannah grinned hugging Desmond while David and Alex joined in to make it a small group hug too.

As they parted, Cam gave a pensive frown, "Desmond... is the monster gone, and how did you survive that heat?"

Desmond sighed tiredly as he removed his helmet, "I killed the monster and kept the volcano from blowing up... as for surviving... I don't know. This good luck charm Penelope gave me must have had some kind of magic properties because it shielded me from the heat. It was the oddest thing... while I was struggling inside the volcano, it was almost like Penelope was still there with me, helping me along and talking to me."

He glanced to the bracelet she gave him and to his surprise, saw that the fiery red glass gems had turned back into blackened stones. "Speaking of which... where is she?"

Naomi grimaced quietly, "She uh... got separated from us. I can only assume she was engulfed in a wall of fire... none of us could save her."

Desmond's expression fell before he scrutinized his new gift again, "This island was her home. She loved it and wanted to help us protect it. I have a hard time believing that the goddess Pele would actually take her life. How else would she have been able to help me within the volcanoes?"

The choppy ocean waves had become calm as the little fishing boat Luna began to change course away from the volcanic coastlines of Kilauea. To the north awaited safety and civilization in the port city of Hilo. As the skies began to clear from the volcanic smoke, the Rangers took one more glance back toward the dark shores of Kilauea while they sailed by. To their surprise, they all spotted a young woman standing on a high rock, watching them leave.

Although the six friends were out a ways on the boat, the woman looked exactly like Penelope, only now she was dressed like an ancient Hawaiian. Around her head and neck was a regal crown of orange and yellow flowers, accenting her deep red colored dress. As a gentle breeze picked up, her long black hair and her red dress fluttered in the wind while she raised an arm and began to wave.

From her spot on the deck, Alex's eyes went wide, "What the… is that Penelope? How… how did she escape the fires? What's with the new clothes?"

Hannah furrowed her brow in deep thought, "Desmond said it was almost like she was with him in the volcano… you don't think…"

"That the goddess Pele was actually the one helping us today?" Desmond smiled warmly, "Who knows?

He stepped forward and waved back toward the mysterious woman on the shoreline, "What I do know is that we should do our part and show a little respect to the island right now."

Cam and David silently exchanged an astonished look with each other before joining Alex and Hannah in giving a slow wave to "Penelope" on the shoreline.

Near the helm of the ship, Naomi stood silently with her mouth agape, trying to make sense of the whole sight. As she did, Penelope picked up a volcanic rock on the ground and tossed it high into the air over the waters.

Although the Rangers were far enough from shore to make a throw like that nearly impossible, the rock sailed gently in the air and reached the boat, falling directly at the feet of the Yellow Ranger. With wide eyes full of wonder, Naomi picked up the rock and stared at it. If that really was the ancient goddess Pele, was she giving her a gift? Perhaps she had heard Naomi's wish to give her cousin Leilani a unique volcanic rock. Naomi blinked and slowly waved back as well to show her gratitude.

As Luna sailed further out into the waters, Desmond took a deep breath of the fresh ocean air. They would still have a few hours of sunlight left and he wanted to use it to get back to port. Taking a slow walk to the helm of the boat, Cam stepped back with a nod and handed the wheel to the ship's rightful captain.

"Helm is in hand. Rudder's amidships skipper."

Desmond smiled and patted the wheel of the boat lovingly before returning the nod.

"Where to Desmond?" the Blue Ranger asked patiently as he stood at attention beside the helm.

The Red Ranger took one more longing look toward the volcano and smiled before turning his eyes to the fiery setting sun in the horizon, "The Big Island was nice to visit... but right now, I think I'd just like to go back home."

As Luna began to set sail across the open waters, chasing the sun, the other Rangers remained quiet and thoughtful. After having a run in with Hine Nui's newest allies, averting a catastrophic natural disaster, and possibly meeting an ancient island spirit, no one was about to disagree with Desmond Waihee's last sentiment.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Hey Readers! I hope you liked the little change of scenery and the shift to more plot-driven story, especially one with a little twist of the supernatural.** ** **For those asking, yes. Penelope was really Pele in human form. Legend has it that Pele takes on various disguises and likes to wander the island. If you disrespect her, or refuse to show compassion, then you're in for a world of hurt.****

 **Just as another quick heads up, we'll be island-hopping again in the next story to introduce the island of Maui, the Molokini Crater, and the series' Sixth Ranger. See you then, and thanks for reading!**


	21. Wa ho'omaha: Vacation

**Episode 11: Part 1  
**

The distinct roar of fighter jet engines sounded overhead as Hannah Johnson stepped outside into the bright heat of the Hawaiian summer day. Without even looking up, she could tell that it came from an F-16 Fighting Falcon, two of them to be exact. After all, it was the same type of aircraft her father flew. While most people would likely stop and stare at the sleek planes above, Hannah simply paid them little mind having grown up around the sight.

For her, the pair of fighter jets looked and sounded the same here at Hickam Field as they did in Pensacola Florida, or back at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota where she was born. Unfortunately, those planes were also one of the only constants of having a father in the Air Force. Having to always move around and relocate with her family had been tough when she was younger. Oftentimes, she moved before she could really make friends, or grow attached to her new surroundings... and she hated it.

But here in Hawaii, things had begun to feel a little different. She was in college and living in her own apartment near campus. She had a part time job, and over the last several months, had made friends with a group of pretty extraordinary people. She had begun to set down roots because she wanted some feeling of permanence. She needed it in her life, and it was her hope that maybe here in Honolulu, she might actually find it.

"Come by and visit again soon sweetheart!" Mr. Johnson waved from the door of the quaint rental house provided for the military officers based at Pearl Harbor-Hickam, "Say hello to Alex for us and have fun on your trip next weekend!"

Hannah waved again and said goodbye to her parents after having visited them for her usual weekend brunch. With that, she strolled down the road of the base housing section to go find the Pink Ranger. Alex had also come to Pearl Harbor today to visit her brother and was going to drive Hannah back home. As Hannah walked down the street toward the base's recreation center, she put her hand in the pocket of her jean shorts and smiled, palming the folded up advertisement she was keeping.

When she arrived at the rec center patio, she found the Pink Ranger sitting outside under a shaded table, drinking a fruit smoothie and laughing over a joke with her older brother Isaac. Alex smiled kindly and greeted her younger friend as she sat down, "Hey Hannah! How'd it go with the dinosaurs?"

The teen chuckled and shrugged, "It's all good. Same old, same old. Now that my family obligations are out of the way, I was hoping I could run an idea by you and the others for next weekend."

Alex tilted her head slightly and gave a wave, "Hold that thought. We can add one more to your announcement. Cam! Hey! Over here!"

Hannah turned and saw the Blue Ranger walking past the building on the sidewalk. He was carrying a binder of papers and like Isaac, was dressed in the same blue duty uniforms that Navy sailors often jokingly referred to as "Aquaflage."

As Cam stopped in surprise and approached the table, Isaac quickly rose to rigid attention and snapped off a salute, "Lieutenant Monroe, good to see you again, sir. It's not often you come by the base."

Cam gave a good natured smile to the subordinate officer and casually returned the salute, "As you were Petty Officer. I was actually just getting back from a meeting with Captain Ramos today. He's got me on what you might call, a special assignment. Still, it's good to see you too Isaac."

As the two men shook hands, Alex took a sip of her drink and turned to the Blue Ranger, "Hannah's got something interesting to tell us."

Hannah pulled out the folded up advertisement on orange paper from her pocket. With an excited look, she asked, "Cam, are you free this weekend?"

The Blue Ranger smirked and gave a joking sigh, "Gee Hannah, I'm really flattered. But if you're asking me out on a date, you're a little on the young side for me, don't you think?"

As he began to laugh, she slapped him on the arm with an annoyed huff, "Eww, no! Get serious!"

She handed him the flier, "I was going to ask if you, Alex, and the others want to go diving with me next weekend. There's a big snorkeling event out in Maui, so I thought it would be fun to check it out. I've always wanted to explore the reefs around the Molokini Crater."

"Molokini?" Isaac asked as he took a casual sip of his drink, "Isn't that the old volcanic basin shaped like a crescent?"

Hannah nodded with a playful frown, "Yup. The same one that the Navy also used for its target practice during World War II."

Cam and Isaac exchanged a sheepish grin as Alex took the flier, "Sounds like fun. Maybe I can take some photos there for my marine biology class. Count me in!"

The Blue Ranger scratched his chin thoughtfully and smiled, "Sure, why not? I'm in too."

"Good idea sir," Isaac added with a chuckle, "Maybe a peaceful mission there would also mean some good P.R. for us."

"All right! Then it's settled!" Hannah grinned excitedly as she pulled both of her friends to their feet, "Molokini, here we come!"

* * *

General Kuta growled to himself with impatience as he stood on the shores of the Phantom Isle. While the commander of the Benthic Armies waited, he gripped his hook shaped halberd and scanned the dark churning waters with his large cuttlefish eyes.

"You are perturbed General," came the familiar but sinister female voice of his mistress from behind.

"Forgive me my queen, I was unhappy with the result of our last battle."

The sea witch maintained her expressionless look, "Not to worry General. You know as well as I, that individual battles are often meaningless. What matters is the progress of the campaign itself."

Kuta glanced over toward the sea witch Hine Nui, "Those Ocean Rangers of Kanohi… they did not impress me. Yet, they managed to stop our plot on the Big Island."

Hine Nui curled her lip calmly, "So we will find another way. That is where your warrior Amoknight will come into play."

She gestured to the waters as another mollusk warrior from Kuta's army emerged and bowed its head reverently. Like Kuta, Amoknight's appearance resembled that of an Ammonite, an armored cephalopod with small ugly tentacles hanging from his mouth. What set this warrior apart though were the thick ridges in his dark shell armor that curled around in spiral patterns.

"My Queen, I'm at your command," the warrior announced.

"Good," Hine Nui smiled, "I will be sending you to the island of Maui. It's there that I want you to comb the reefs and craters for a particular object."

Both mollusk warriors exchanged a curious glance before Kuta spoke, "And what object is that my Queen?"

The sea witch flashed her teeth in a devilish smile, "There were ancient stories of a colossal oyster at the bottom of a crater. They say that it guards a valuable treasure… one of great power. Whatever it is protecting, I want you to bring it to me so that we can use it to defeat Kanohi."

"As you wish," Amoknight answered bowing his head and heading back into the waters.

As he watched his newest warrior deploy out into battle, Kuta could only wonder if Amoknight would actually succeed where the sea snail Nassarius had failed.

* * *

The following weekend, the Ocean Rangers all boarded a ferry boat and set off from Honolulu to the nearby island of Maui. After a few hours, the six friends disembarked from the boat to find themselves in the beautiful resort town of Wailea.

"I don't know about you guys, but this sure beats the hell out of running through volcanoes in Kilauea," David smiled hefting his travel bag and watching the palm trees gently swaying in the warm breeze.

Summer sunlight washed over the light sandstone buildings of the upscale shops and restaurants just beyond the marina as the six continued to gawk at the inviting sights.

Finally, Hannah grabbed her bags and began to lead the way toward the hotel they'd booked for the weekend. "After we check in, I'm going to go make sure we're registered for tomorrow. It sounds like this event attracts a lot of divers and snorklers every year so we should probably try to beat the mad rush."

Upon reaching the hotel, the boys gathered at the front desk and busied themselves with signing in and getting rooms in order while the girls waited nearby, admiring the fancy lobby. While she looked about, Alex smiled, "Well, I'm glad I agreed to go out this weekend. I always thought Honolulu was a nice town, but I could get used to Maui too."

"I'm sure the guy this island was named after would agree with you," Naomi added flopping down on a nearby sofa. The other two girls gave her a curious look prompting the Yellow Ranger to continue, "Maui was a famous Hawaiian demi-god... a folk hero, and a trickster. It was said he had a large magic fishing hook that he used to do all sorts of extraordinary things with."

"Hmm, a mischievous magical fisherman eh? I'm sure this Maui would have really hit it off with Desmond then," Alex joked making the other girls laugh.

After a pause, Naomi gave a thoughtful shrug, "According to the stories, Maui actually wasn't a very good fisherman and he was often underestimated by others too. But, what he lacked in power and talent, he made up for with his cunning."

While she listened to Naomi talk about Maui, Hannah remained silent and just smiled to herself. In a way, she sorta knew that feeling. After all, here she was with a bunch of older friends. They all had more skills and life experience than her, and most of all, they were Power Rangers on top of that. While they never disparaged her for not being a Ranger either, the teen still had a selfish wish that she could be like them too. At least for this weekend, she would be able to show off to her friends here and lead them in something she was good at and passionate about... diving.

At that moment, the boys returned from the front desk to pass out room keys.

"Ok. We're all set," Cam said distributing the key cards, "We've still got a couple hours to kill, unless you guys want to grab an early dinner."

David, was the first to raise a hand, "Actually, I was hoping I could go hit the driving range. I heard from some people on the ferry that there was a beautiful golf course nearby."

Desmond gave an excited grin, "Hey, that sounds cool! I've never actually golfed before. Can I come too?"

"Of course, my young grasshopper. Come with me, and I'll teach you the ways of the golf club," David laughed while doing his best Mr. Miyagi impression. With that, the two friends exited the lobby, off to find the golf course and some rental equipment.

After they departed, Hannah spoke up next, "I'm going to go make sure everything is good for the dive trip out to Molokini tomorrow. But... I guess it could also be fun to do some window shopping at the designer stores in town afterward, right?"

Alex smiled and put an arm around her friend, leading them out of the hotel atrium, "Girl, that sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon. Lead on!"

From where he stood in the lobby, the Blue Ranger blinked in shock as his other friends left their bags with him and went off to go have fun. He put his hands on his hips and frowned in mild annoyance, "Hey! What the hell you guys? Do I look like the bellhop here?"

Naomi gave a sympathetic smile and put a hand on his arm, "Don't worry Cam, I'll help you carry all that stuff up to the rooms."

After gathering the bags and taking the elevators up, they came to a stop at the doors to their rooms. As he opened his door, Cam gave an idle glance toward her, "I don't suppose you're also planning on meeting up with the other girls later, are you?"

Naomi smiled and gave a shrug, "I dunno. If it's ok with you, I actually thought it would be nice if we just take a little walk around town and then grab that early dinner. What do you think?"

"Oh... uh... just you and me?"

The Yellow Ranger turned and gave a curious look, "Sure, why not? I saw some nice places to eat on the way here. Why not give it a try, right? Unless there's something else you'd rather do."

"I uh, no... dinner sounds great," Cam replied quickly, doing his best to try and sound nonchalant.

"Great, it's a date then," Naomi winked cheerfully as she headed into her room, "I'll just need a few minutes to drop our stuff and wash up. Sound good?"

"Sure," the Blue Ranger said slowly as he walked into his own room, wondering what exactly Naomi had meant by the word "date."

* * *

Some time later that afternoon, Hannah strolled down the walkway of upscale shops lining the center of the resort town. Not far below was the marina on a lower terrace. She had already checked in with the dive tour for tomorrow and decided to wander about, looking for a place where she could maybe pick up some unique diving gear for tomorrow. She was in need of a new utility knife.

Early evening had already begun to set in over Maui and the skies were beginning to turn a light shade of pink and yellow. Speaking of pink things, Alex had stayed behind at a Coach store to admire some of the pink purses there, not only because she liked the color, but because it also conveniently advertised her own last name too. The teen shook her head and laughed off the thought as she noticed a small Bait and Tackle store at the end of the strip. A crude wooden sign overhead simply advertised the place as "Murry's."

It was nestled in a little corner between an upscale water sporting goods shop and a Tommy Bahama store. It was a simple unassuming little shop and appeared to be unlike a lot of the other expensive designer stores catering to tourists around there. With a shrug, Hannah decided to go check it out. With any luck, she might find some interesting gear there and it might be on sale too. She was a "broke" college kid after all.

When she entered the small store, she was surprised how empty and quiet it was. Considering how busy the rest of the touristy shopping plaza was, Hannah shrugged it off and scolded herself for being so paranoid. Despite the small size of the cluttered shop, there were actually a lot of unique items on sale for fishermen and boaters, along with some old assorted dive gear too. As she ambled over toward a corner and examined some scuba utility knives, she gasped as she felt a hand suddenly touch her shoulder from behind while she heard a man's deep voice, "You don't want to buy those."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **To answer Ranger Red 2.0 in the prior chapter, Desmond's ship** ** _Luna_** **is a sailboat and powered only by the wind. Thanks for your question my friend!**

 **Amoknight: reference to Ammonite, a class of marine mollusks**


	22. Ohuna: Secret

**Episode 11: Part 2  
**

Hannah whirled around and found herself face to face with an older Hawaiian man. Although his hair was graying and he looked to be in his fifties, the man with a kind but weather worn face still had a strong powerful build and a twinkle in his eye. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail and he wore a simple orange cutoff shirt, almost the same shade as Hannah's t-shirt.

"I'm so sorry sir! I didn't mean to cause any trouble!" she sputtered in alarm, dropping the knife.

The older man just shook his head and gave a kind smile as bent down to retrieve the blade, "No. I'm sorry I startled you. I just wanted to tell you those utility knives are garbage. Come with me."

Hannah followed the man to the front desk where he began to rummage around some boxes, "Um, are you the owner of the store?"

"Yep. The name's Murry," he said offering a hand with a smile, "Nice to meet you Miss."

"Hannah," the girl replied shaking his hand, "I came in here looking for a new utility knife."

"Are you a diver?" he asked curiously.

She nodded, "I'm actually headed out to go snorkeling in Molokini tomorrow with my friends. I heard there were some nice reefs out there."

"Ah. You're not going to go looking for the Grand Oyster, are you?" the man grinned as he continued to sort through a box of equipment. Hannah gave a puzzled look and remained silent so he continued.

"It's a bit of a local legend, but some say that there's a colossal oyster somewhere at the bottom of the crater's sheer wall. They say it's guarding some great treasure left there by the god Maui himself."

Hannah chewed her lip in thought. That actually sounded really interesting. She was a pretty talented diver already and maybe if she was lucky, she could really impress everybody by finding that treasure. "If there's a huge oyster, then I'm going to need a bigger utility blade."

Murry smiled as he found what he was looking for. He proudly held up a large hook shaped tool that looked almost like a sickle. "Ah ha! Here we go. I've had this sitting around forever."

She cocked a curious eyebrow, "Where did you get it?"

"Some strange guy pawned it off many years ago. That's all I know," Murry shrugged handing it to her.

"What is it?" the girl asked curiously taking the tool's handle.

Murry grinned, "It's a multipurpose fishing hook. You can use it to hook and pry things open, as well as cut with the blade on the ends. It was probably crafted with the design of Maui's famous fish hook in mind."

He pointed to a wooden pendant around his neck in the shape of the well known Hawaiian fish hook, "I know it looks unusual, but it's sturdy."

"Well, it is kinda odd," Hannah admitted, "But it looks pretty cool too. How much?"

Murry smiled and shrugged, "Honestly, you can just take it for free. It's been sitting around here for years and no one else has wanted it. I have no use for it either."

Hannah frowned, "I can't do that. Seriously, let me give you a little bit of money."

Before she could protest further, Alex burst into the shop and gave a relieved look, "Hannah! There you are! I was looking all over for you! We've got trouble."

The Pink Ranger gestured to her pink coral bracelet morpher and hurried back outside. The teen glanced back to the kind old shopkeeper who nodded again and she gave a grateful smile, "Thank you sir. I really appreciate it!"

With that, the girl dashed out of the store to see what trouble the Rangers were now facing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cam and Naomi sat at a candlelit outdoor table in one of the trendy resort restaurants overlooking the ocean bluffs. The air had cooled a little and the evening sky was lit up with the gentle glow of pink and orange. Instead of ordering dinner, the two opted to share a plate of appetizers over glasses of wine and some funny stories about their pasts.

"I can't believe you actually hit your principal in the face with a flying tuna fish," Naomi laughed while wiping her eyes.

"My parents were pretty mad about that stunt, but I think they've forgiven me," Cam smiled finishing his story about a high school prank that he and his friends had pulled on a hated principal.

Naomi laughed again, "It's hard to imagine you causing any kind of trouble... or getting detention for a week."

The Blue Ranger shrugged and laughed too, "It was a one time thing. It was Senior year and totally worth it. Compared to the hell my drill instructors put me through at Annapolis, that high school punishment was a cakewalk."

After the laughter died down, she asked, "Michigan sounds like a nice place. Do you miss your home and your family in Ann Arbor?"

"Well sure," Cam shrugged while taking a small spring roll from the plate, "But being in the service means it's kinda tough to just pick up and go if you're feeling homesick. I guess I just kinda learned to deal with it by focusing on my duties instead... and with all this monster stuff going on in the islands, it's all the more reason I need to be focused on the job."

Naomi smiled warmly and brushed back a strand of her dark hair before taking a sip of white wine, "You do realize it's ok to loosen up and have a little fun here in Hawaii too, right? For now, it's kinda gonna be your second home."

She glanced out toward the evening skies over the waters, "Starting now with this little weekend getaway in Maui. It's nice, isn't it?"

Cam looked out toward the setting sun over the ocean and gave a relaxed sigh, "Yeah... also kinda romantic too."

He stopped abruptly and inwardly kicked himself, hoping she didn't catch that last idle comment. Fortunately, they both saw their Ocean Bracers flicker, signaling trouble. They both exchanged a serious look as Naomi rose from the table, "Duty calls, right?"

Cam sighed quietly to himself and tossed some money on the table to cover the tab before hurrying out of the restaurant to assist the other Rangers.

* * *

By the time Alex and Hannah arrived at the local marina, they saw the last of the civilians fleeing the scene while a large pack of Hine Nui's Nightmarcher troops were already busy fighting Desmond and David. Having been surrounded by civilians, the two had been unable to morph and instead fended off the undead warriors with their golf clubs.

In a flash, Alex summoned her Ocean Dagger and turned to Hannah, "Stay here. I'll take care of this."

Hannah sighed and took cover behind a low fence while she watched the Pink Ranger charge into battle to assist their friends. Moments later, on the far end of the marina, she also spotted the Blue and Yellow Rangers make a running leap over the fence and join the battle too.

As David used his golf club to deflect a strike from a Nightmarcher, he hooked the end around its neck and swung it into another zombie threatening Alex from the flank. The Green and Pink Rangers regrouped and took a defensive stance, back to back.

"Mind if we play through?" the doctor quipped earning a grin and eye roll from Alex while Desmond smashed his driver over the head of another minion.

"Three strokes. Look at that, I made par."

As the Rangers defeated the first wave of enemy infantry, Hannah caught sight of two Nightmarchers breaking off to start vandalizing some of the boats. Unfortunately, the other Rangers were too busy to notice as they were preoccupied with their own battles. Gathering up her courage, she grabbed the large fishing hook tool and charged the zombies. "Hey! Over here coconut brains!"

The two Nightmarchers turned in surprise as Hannah used her momentum to make a baseball slide under the first attack and hook her weapon around the leg of the other minion. She turned the hook and rose, tripping the soldier into the water before using it to hook the spear of the other warrior as it attacked her with a thrust. Using her own agility, Hannah turned the spear aside and used the bladed end of the sickle-hook to slash the other zombie, sending it careening off the marina pier.

She panted and stared in awe of the tool in her hand. Had she really just taken down two of those monsters by herself? She didn't have time to think before the other Rangers regrouped around her, still unmorphed.

"Hey! Nice moves Hannah!" Desmond cheered giving her a high five, "You really took it to those goons!"

David raised an eyebrow and wore a concerned look, "Are you ok? You weren't hurt, were you?"

The teen shook her head before getting a stern scolding from the Blue Ranger, "Hannah! What do you think you're doing? You could have gotten yourself hurt... or worse!"

"I'm sorry!" she protested, "But those Nightmarchers were going to punch holes in the hulls of these boats. I couldn't let them cause more trouble!"

Alex stepped forward and interposed herself between the two, "Ok, let's all just cool out. The important thing is that everyone is ok... even if some of us should have been a little more careful."

She gave the younger girl a pointed look, resembling an older sister gently reprimanding a younger sibling. Hannah sighed and nodded "Yeah... sorry for making you worry everyone."

Naomi gave a tired sigh and turned back toward the resort town in the near distance, "Come on everyone. Let's all go back to the hotel and get some rest. We can worry about all this in the morning."

As the others began to make their way back to the hotel, David cast a curious glance at the boats the Nightmarchers had attempted to tamper with. Giving another sigh, he looked to the bent up golf club in his hand from the battle. He was definitely not going to get his rental deposit back on that one.

* * *

The next morning, the Ocean Rangers gathered together back at the marina and headed out on a charter boat to Molokini along with a bunch of other divers and snorkelers. While they cruised the waters, the Rangers huddled together on the rear deck of the boat talking quietly with each other about the monster attack from the prior night.

"Unless those monsters just like following us around, why are they lurking around Maui?" Alex asked while stretching out to sun herself in a chair.

"The Nightmarchers from last night…" David began thoughtfully, "I think they were trying to sabotage some of the boats headed out to the crater. I recognize a couple of the ships in our convoy today."

Cam leaned on the railing of the deck and watched the waters with a pensive expression on his face, "But why? Assuming Dave is right, why would Hine Nui's monsters want to keep us away from Molokini?"

Hannah restlessly stirred nearby as she began to zip up her wetsuit, "Maybe they want the treasure there?"

The other Rangers all stopped and looked at her in confusion before Desmond raised an eyebrow, "Treasure? What are you talking about?"

"Murry… the old guy at the Bait and Tackle store yesterday," Hannah said, "He was telling me some local story about a treasure at the bottom of the crater, just off the sheer wall. He said that there was a giant oyster there guarding a treasure that was possibly left by Maui himself. Maybe the monsters are after that too?"

Naomi put her hands on her hips patiently, "Hannah, that's just a silly local legend. That guy was probably some old kook telling a fisherman's tall tale."

Desmond puffed up his chest in mild indignation toward the Yellow Ranger, "No way! There's a grain of truth in every fisherman's story! I believe you Hannah."

The teen gave a grateful nod to the Red Ranger as Alex turned to Naomi, "You know... we really aren't the best ones to thumb our noses at supernatural legends here. For goodness sake, our mentor is a magic talking tiki head."

While she spoke, David scrutinized Hannah for a moment before crossing his arms, "You don't look like you're dressed for snorkeling either Hannah. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were going to go scuba diving."

"Maybe I wanted to see if Murry was right," she answered defensively, "Scuba divers go off the sheer wall all the time."

"If Hine Nui's monsters really are there, you might be heading into a lot of danger," Cam argued back as he turned back around with a serious look, "It's not safe Hannah. You shouldn't go today."

"You can't tell me what to do," she fired back petulantly, "And you can't stop me either. I was going to come here myself anyway and last I checked, none of you know how to scuba dive either. I know what I'm doing, ok? I'm not a dumb little kid and I don't need you to protect me all the time either."

A tense silence settled among the others before the Blue Ranger gave an angry frown and turned back to the railing in silence.

"Come on Hannah," Alex said gently rising from her seat, "Let's take a walk around the deck, huh?"

* * *

Despite the little argument earlier in the cruise, it was a bright clear day and the waves gently lapped at the edges of the Molokini Crater jutting out of the water when the boats pulled up. After several of the dive tour boats dropped anchors around the crater, the Rangers made ready to join the other tourists in snorkeling around the colorful shallow reefs below.

As Hannah secured her dive equipment and her new utility hook from Murry's shop, Desmond raised a small underwater walkie-talkie. "Remember, keep in regular contact with us just so that we know you're ok."

She tested the communicator attached to her mouthpiece and nodded. It was a fair compromise, but it didn't stop her from giving the Blue Ranger a dirty look before she transferred boats to join the experienced divers that were off to swim on the deep outer wall facing the open ocean. After she left, David put on his dive mask and clapped his hands together, trying to sound positive, "Come on, cheer up everyone. She'll be ok. This was her trip and we're just along for the ride."

Alex nodded with a sigh and prepared her own underwater camera, "Yeah… I guess Dave is right. Let's all try to have some fun and enjoy ourselves. Come on!"

The others watched as she dove into the clear waters and began swimming beneath the waves. After exchanging a shrug, they each hopped off the side of the boat and plunged into the warm tropical waters to follow Alex into the colorful coral reef below.

Meanwhile, on the outer edges of the crater, Hannah dove into the open water and let herself sink below the waves. As she made a controlled descent, she breathed calmly into her respirator and eyed her pressure gauge to make sure everything was working properly. So far so good.

While she continued to dive deeper along with a few other divers, she took a few minutes to admire the coral formations growing along the wall and the colorful fish that darted amongst them. On the other end of her field of vision was the deep open expanse of blue ocean waters. In the far distance, she caught sight of a couple large sea turtles before they disappeared back into the darker depths beyond.

As she descended lower, she took note of the rock wall she was using as her frame of reference and saw that the waters had grown darker. In the eerie twilight of the water, the crater wall and the terrain around it had become a lot larger and appeared more ominous. Upon reaching the sea floor, Hannah floated above a crevice and her eyes went wide in shock. Out of the murky darkness loomed a colossal oyster sitting on the sea bed. But all around it were a pack of Nightmarcher zombies and another mollusk warrior.

Hannah leaned back hugging the crater wall as she watched the Nightmarchers struggle together to pry open the mouth of the oyster with their weapons. Ever so slowly, the oyster's mouth began to open and a bright orange glow emanated from within it. Moments later, the oyster snapped shut again sending several warriors flying backwards in a cloud of bubbles and force.

The girl gasped as she saw a couple Nightmarchers get thrown to the sandy ground nearby her while the mollusk commander Amoknight turned his head. The sinister creature turned to his troops and gave a cruel smile, leveling a jagged coral mace in Hannah's direction. "Over there! Get the girl!"


	23. Momi: Pearl

**Episode 12: Part 1  
**

Hannah immediately punched her radio and tried to kick upward to get away, "Help! Monsters! Trouble!"

Before she could ascend, she felt several Nightmarchers grab her by the ankles and violently pull her back down. She tried to struggle as they restrained her arms and dragged her before the mollusk warrior who stood calmly in front of the gigantic oyster.

Amoknight leaned close to Hannah's face and examined her, making the teen recoil in fright.

"You there… girl! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The girl remained silent in fear prompting the monster to rip the respirator from her mouth. Hannah sputtered and desperately held her breath while the cruel mollusk laughed, holding the breather just out of reach.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that the Grand Oyster began to open its mouth the moment you came here. You are going to help me get what's inside of it, do you understand?"

Hannah nodded again in fear as she felt her lungs begin to burn.

Amoknight snorted in contempt and pushed the respirator back in her mouth, "Pathetic air breather… Now make that blasted bivalve open its mouth… and no funny business."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the shallow reefs of the crater, the other Rangers took a casual swim, admiring the scenery. Alex intently began snapping photos for her marine biology class while zooming in on some pink anemones and orange clownfish. Not too far away, David was already intently studying some unusual coral up close. It had reminded him of the Rangers' run in with a coral monster earlier in the year and he figured he might as well make a positive out of it. Both David and Alex suddenly stopped their activities when they felt Naomi tap their shoulders and point toward Desmond. The Red Ranger gestured toward the surface and quickly began to swim upwards.

The five Ocean Rangers swam to the surface and looked to Desmond who now wore a grim face, "Everyone, I just got a message from Hannah. It sounds like she's in trouble."

The others' eyes went wide before David asked, "Hine Nui?"

"Looks that way," the Red Ranger nodded. Before, he could say anything more, the five friends turned to see Nightmarchers rising from the waters and crawling up the anchor chains of the tour boats.

"More of them?" Alex cried in shock, "We've got to stop those monsters from harming the tourists… but Hannah…"

"Damn it all…" Cam growled as he began to swim hard for the lip of the crater, "You guys take out those foot soldiers! I'll help Hannah."

Desmond nodded and took the lead, turning to the others while grabbing his Ocean Bracer, "All right, what are we waiting for, everyone?"

* * *

At the bottom of the crater, Hannah gingerly approached the colossal oyster while she was prodded on by the Nightmarchers who gripped her arms. She had never seen such a giant sea creature and the idea of it accidentally snapping shut on her was a bit intimidating. Amonknight walked beside her and watched as the gigantic sea creature began to open its mouth again, ever so slightly.

While Hannah continued to approach, she saw a bright orange glow coming from a spherical object within the oyster as it continued to open wider. For a moment, the oyster hesitated as if sensing the accompanying danger before it began to close up again. Amoknight waved his arm forward, "Now's our chance you fools! Hold that mouth open!"

Several Nightmarchers rushed forward and jammed their weapons in between the lips of the oyster to hold it open. While the oyster struggled to close, the mollusk shoved Hannah forward roughly, "Go get the treasure! Hurry!"

She took a breath and swam over to the open mouth of the giant beast. She was hesitant to stick her arm inside and risk getting it snapped in half so she grabbed her bladed tool and hooked it around the glowing object. With one quick forceful tug, she pulled the treasure free and fell backwards with what looked to be a glowing orange pearl. It was the size of a basketball and magic energies swirled around within it like a colorful marble.

"Give me the pearl human!" Amoknight snarled but Hannah turned away to shield the treasure from the monster. With a defiant frown, she kicked upward again and tried to swim away in the momentary confusion, but the mollusk fired several energy blasts from his mace. The bolts seared the water and exploded around her, kicking up rocks and violently throwing her sideways. As Hannah tumbled end over end in the water, the stunned girl saw her dive mask had cracked and the respirator was leaking air fast.

Moments later, a torpedo like form shot down from above and swept the Nightmarchers away in a cloud of bubbles. Amoknight stopped and froze as he saw the morphed Blue Ocean Ranger emerge and summon his blade.

"Blue Ranger! We don't have time for this," the mollusk snarled as Cam glanced upward to the limp form of Hannah floating above.

"You're right. We don't!" the Ranger called, slashing his blade and creating a powerful surging current of water at his enemy. Amoknight roared in anger as the wave slammed into him hard and swept the monster far off into the open ocean. Without wasting a moment, Cam darted upward and grabbed Hannah by the waist, pulling her back to the surface of the water as quickly as possible.

One heart pounding minute later, they burst from the waters and the Ranger dragged Hannah onto the dry shore of the crater. After pulling off his own helmet, he tore off Hannah's dive mask while she violently coughed and sputtered from almost having drowned. After taking a minute to spit up some sea water, she cracked open her bleary eyes, "Cam? I… you saved me?"

He took a moment to catch his own breath before shaking her by the shoulders, berating her angrily, "What the hell is wrong with you? That was beyond stupid Hannah! You should have listened to me! You're lucky you didn't get yourself killed down there!"

The girl closed her eyes, wincing from the verbal onslaught. It was true. She probably deserved a stern lecture right now, but she froze in shock as she suddenly felt the Blue Ranger put his arms around her and pull her into a firm but protective hug. "Seriously kid… you shouldn't have done that. I was worried! You really scared the hell out me just now, you know that?"

She buried her face into his shoulder and nodded, returning the hug. In a small but grateful voice, she answered "I'm sorry Cam... and thank you."

As they let go, Cam's expression softened and they exchanged a relieved smile before Hannah proudly held up the large magic pearl she had recovered, "Check it out! Turns out Murry actually was right. Looks like Hine Nui was looking for this thing after all... whatever it is."

They didn't have any more time to speculate as they turned and saw the other morphed Rangers fend off the last of the attacking Nightmarchers. After throwing the intruders off the boats the Rangers signaled the tourists and the ship captains to regroup and head back toward Maui. While the tour boats collected their passengers, the other Rangers regrouped on the shore of the crater's edge to check on Hannah.

"Whew, thank goodness you're safe kiddo," Naomi smiled giving the teen a little hug while tousling her blonde hair gently, "Looks like the worst is over now."

No sooner had she said that was when a large monster erupted from the distant waters kicking up violent waves in its wake. To their horror, the Ocean Rangers turned their gaze upward to see an enlarged General Kuta emerge from the water and give a roar. No doubt he had been enlarged by Hine Nui's dark magic to help keep the Rangers busy while Amoknight recovered the mysterious pearl.

The giant cuttlefish warrior spotted the Rangers on the lip of the sunken crater and gave a growl, "Come face me again Rangers. Let's continue where we left off on the Big Island."

"Big is right," Desmond quipped calling on their royal conch shell, "We've got some pretty big friends to come fight you too."

The Red Ranger turned to the others, "Are you guys ready to raise the stakes and call the zords?"

"Let's do it," Alex agreed before pointing Hannah to a nearby tour boat, "Hannah, head back to Maui and get to safety. We'll take care of squid face here."

The teen stopped in hesitation, "I... are you sure?"

David gave her a quick but gentle push toward the boat, "There's no time! If those mollusks are after that pearl, then you have to keep it safe for us while we fight."

She gave a reluctant nod and hurried off to board the last tourist boat before it retreated from the Molokini Crater.

* * *

Once she was clear, Desmond stepped forward and sounded the conch shell, calling their 5 titanic zords. In no time flat, the giant sea creatures assembled into the Ocean Force Megazord with the five Rangers back at the helm. As it called on its swordfish auxiliary weapon, General Kuta laughed derisively, "You really think you can duel me? Let's go!"

As Hannah sped away on the escaping boat, she watched from the rear deck as the Megazord clashed weapons with the giant mollusk general. As the two titans exchanged blows, Kuta used his polearm to hook the swordfish saber and turn it aside, getting in close to the Ranger's guard. Before the Ocean Force Megazord could react, Kuta extended the tentacles from his head and used it to snare its upper body.

"Whoah! Not good!" Desmond growled as Kuta's tentacled maw grappled the Megazord and constricted it with crushing force. While they struggled, Alex gripped her own control, "Kuta's close enough. I think he needs to take one on the chin."

Taking advantage of the Megazord's free arm, Alex brought the fist of her Pink Seahorse zord up to smash Kuta in the jaw with a vicious rising uppercut. The general roared in pain and staggered backwards giving the Rangers enough time to regroup and prepare for a new course of action.

"This guy isn't going down easy," Naomi commented as she eyed the battlefield, "We've got to prevent that monster from damaging the crater basin."

"I'd be more worried about breaking through that thing's armor," David interjected as the Megazord dodged another halberd thrust and landed a counter blow with its sword. "Our weapon is barely putting a dent in Kuta.

The Megazord swung again, but this time, the mollusk parried the blow aside and landed his own blow with the blunt end of his weapon. As the Megazord stumbled, Kuta opened his maw and fired an inky projectile spray that knocked the zords over into the water.

"Is that all you've got?" Kuta taunted as he raised a boot to stop down on the Megazord, "You're even more pathetic than I thought."

Desmond growled and used his controls to catch Kuta's kick and throw him backwards away from the crater and the fragile coral reefs. While the general recovered his footing, the Megazord rose to its feet to square off again for another round. As they took ready stances, the Rangers noticed Kuta raising a hand to shield his large eyes from the angle of the sun shining directly on him.

The Blue Ranger studied the enemy for a long moment before grinning, "That's it! I can see Kuta's weak spot! Mollusks have big sensitive eyes. If we can blind him enough, we may be able to gain an advantage!"

Desmond nodded and took the lead controls, "All right then, let's turn this guy into calamari!"

While Kuta readied to make another lunging attack, the Megazord raised its blade high and caught the sunlight, before turning it slightly and directing the glare into the face of the general. Kuta snarled in rage as he averted his eyes, giving the Rangers just enough time to charge forward and hammer him with several fierce sword blows.

The armored general toppled into the water and furiously hissed at the Megazord, "You were clever today Rangers. The next time we meet, you won't be so lucky."

Kuta lay back in the water and sunk back below the waves, dispersing in a large dark pool of Hine Nui's magic before retreating from the battlefield.

"Any time General! We'll be waiting!" Desmond called back in a taunt as the other Rangers sat back both in relief and exhaustion. It had been a chaotic morning and right now, all they wanted to do was to hurry back to Maui and make sure their youngest friend had made it back safe and sound.

* * *

Some time later, Hannah jumped off the tour boat as it docked back in the harbor. While she had lost some of her gear back in Molokini, she still had her goggles, her towel, and her new hook tool. She quickly wrapped the large glowing orange pearl up in her towel and hurried from the marina. She didn't have time to change and continued to wear her wetsuit while hunting for a spot on the beach bluffs. She wanted to find a good place to spot the Rangers when they returned, so that they could contact the tiki Kanohi and figure out what the heck this radiant beach ball was.

As she flopped down on the sand, Hannah exhaled deeply in relief from the events of the morning. After finding an ancient treasure and almost losing her life at the bottom of the crater, she was exhausted and didn't care if she looked like a wreck right now. Still, she could only wonder how the Ocean Rangers had fared against General Kuta and if that was going to be the end of the monster threat here in Maui. As she lay in the sand enjoying the peaceful sounds of the waves, she shot upright as she heard panicked cries from tourists further down the beach.

To her complete shock, the mollusk warrior named Amoknight who had almost killed her emerged from the shallows with a squad of Nightmarcher escorts. Beach-goers fled in terror from the monstrous invaders as they ignored the other humans and marched directly for Hannah, as if they were homing in on her position only.

"Thought you could get away from us girlie?" Amoknight sneered as he drew his jagged coral mace. "Why do you think General Kuta stayed behind to fight the Rangers?"

"What do you want?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" the mollusk roared, "You have Maui's treasure... the Grand Oyster's pearl. You will give it to me right now."

The girl held the wrapped up pearl protectively as the monsters stopped and fanned out, making ready to charge her if she tried to escape. She didn't know what this pearl or treasure of Maui was, or why it was so important, but she knew she couldn't let Hine Nui's servants take it either. She reached for the bladed hook tool at her side to defend herself if need be.

"You can't escape from us," Amoknight said slowly, "This is your last chance. Surrender now and give me the pearl."

No sooner had the mollusk warrior spoken when a bright orange light began to flare from within Hannah's beach towel. The girl looked down curiously and let the towel fall away while the monsters all froze in wonder, gawking at the strange sight too. As Hannah held the large glowing pearl, she was suddenly engulfed in a brilliant orange light.


	24. Pukana La: Sunrise

**Episode 12: Part 2  
**

When the shimmering light of the magic pearl faded, the monsters stood in shock as a new Orange Power Ranger stood before them on the beach. Her suit bore a very similar design to that of the other Ocean Rangers and she deftly twirled her personal weapon in her hand… the same large fish hook crossed with a sickle-blade.

Amoknight clenched his fists in rage and growled, "What? No! Who are you?"

The new Ranger smirked as she stepped forward and raised her weapon, _"I'm Fearless as the Coming Dawn, Orange Ocean Ranger!"_

Amoknight waved his mace, "We'll see just how brave you really are little girl! Nightmarchers, attack!"

The zombie troops charged forward but Hannah used her newfound speed and strength to tumble and somersault through them. _If this was what being a Ranger felt like, it was amazing,_ she thought to herself while she used her hook to trip a minion by the ankle. As she whirled around, the Orange Ranger used her weapon to deflect several blows and slash the zombies backwards with its bladed end. Like the other Rangers, she moved instinctively and seemed to have picked up a newfound proficiency at _Lua_ , the Hawaiian style of martial arts taught to tribal warriors and nobility.

After kicking aside another zombie and tossing another with a brutal arm twisting takedown, the Orange Ranger grasped the hilt of her tool and separated the handle from the bladed hook, converting it into a long whip-like weapon. The remaining Nightmarchers froze in surprise as Hannah snapped the whip and used it to lash into their ranks. In a storm of orange light, Hannah dashed forward and used the whip to tear through the enemies at range while tripping others up with the hook. With one more sharp crack of the wrist, the Orange Ranger retracted her whip back into its original form as the foot soldiers all collapsed and burned away into dark smoke.

It was at that moment that the Ocean Rangers arrived on the beach after catching a ride from David's turtle zord. As they rushed to the edge of the battlefield, they froze in shock at the sight of a young female Orange Ranger holding her own against Hine Nui's monsters.

"Is that… Hannah?" Alex gasped in shock, "It can't be! How did she even morph?"

"Who cares how she did it! She's totally kicking ass right now!" Desmond cheered while pumping his fist in excitement.

The Blue Ranger stepped beside him with a smile and surprised everyone by giving an encouraging shout, "Aright! Take it to em Hannah!"

Meanwhile, Amoknight squared off against the new Ranger and snorted, "Impressive, but still not enough for a Benthic warrior."

The mollusk charged forward with this mace raised high, but Hannah dodged the first strike and deflected the follow up blow. As she struggled to keep their weapons locked together, Hannah muttered quietly, "All right, time to see what kind of powers this suit has."

To everyone's shock, the Orange Ranger began to channel the islands' elemental power and manifest it in a blazing nimbus of orange light. Now that she wielded Maui's powers, she understood everything: how the demigod had snared the rising sun with his magic hook and forced it to slow down its progress in the sky, slowing the flow of time itself. He may have been a trickster hero, but his actions had always been done with the benefit of all humanity in mind. Right now, she was going to act for the good of her Ranger friends and harness the power of the dawn.

Amoknight recoiled from the bright light as Hannah began drawing on Maui's wild trickery magic, splitting herself into four mirror images made from the light. The mollusk immediately fell back on the defensive as he fended off the attacks of four Orange Rangers and watched as they dispelled one by one until the real one remained. As the monster turned his head to face her, she used her elemental powers again to momentarily refract the light and cause the illusion of time slowing down.

The mollusk warrior blinked and staggered in confusion before the Orange Ranger opened up with a barrage of furious slashing blows with her hook. In an instant, he found his arm caught by the hook and he was hurled to the ground while Hannah unleashed the whip like fishing line again. Amoknight could only watch in awe as she swung the hook around and call on her own finishing strike. When the hook was tossed up skyward, a large glowing ball of orange fiery light grew around the hook, as if the Ranger had snared the sun itself. With one swift motion, Hannah snapped the whip line and brought the orange fireball crashing back down on the monster.

Amoknight didn't stand a chance as the fireball hit him like a meteor and instantly destroyed him where he stood. As she recalled the whip line of the hook, Hannah powered down and turned to face the small crowd of cheering Ocean Rangers on the beach. It had been an incredible rush and the feeling only grew as the two other girls rushed out to give her a relieved hug, followed by the boys.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Naomi laughed, throwing an arm over Hannah, "That was amazing!"

Alex stepped in, feigning a haughty smile, "Like you need to ask? I taught her everything she knows."

Cam stepped forward next, wearing a quiet smile as he put a hand on the top of her head, ruffling her golden hair a bit, "You did great today kiddo... I'm proud of you. We all are."

Before she could answer, Desmond and David picked her up from underneath and lifted her up on their shoulders, "Let's hear it for the heroine of Maui!"

Hannah had been present at past victory celebrations on the battlefield, but today, there was no doubt how special it was. Hine Nui was foiled again and the Ocean Rangers were now a complete team.

* * *

Later the next day, after the high of the previous battle had begun to fade, the six Ocean Rangers gathered together to decide how to spend their last Sunday evening in Maui. While they stood beside an outdoor fountain in their hotel courtyard, David turned to Hannah and put a hand on her shoulder with a sympathetic smile. "You know, it's really too bad that the monsters showed up to spoil our weekend here. We really didn't get too much time off to relax."

The Orange Ranger shrugged and gave a small grin, "Yeah, I guess my plans for Molokini kinda went sideways... but it wasn't all bad. I still got a few pretty kickass souvenirs, if you know what I mean."

Desmond scratched his chin thoughtfully, "Well, Hine Nui will certainly be sore about this loss… and I'm sure Kanohi will be able to get you fitted for an Ocean Bracer too."

"Yeah... a new pearl bracelet colored orange sounds really good too," Hannah smiled pretending to sound like a vain spoiled princess.

Alex gave a yawn and looked to the early evening skies, "So, now that official Ranger business has been taken care of, what are the rest of you going to do tonight?"

Cam chewed his lip thoughtfully before turning to the Yellow Ranger with a hopeful look, "Uh, Naomi? You wouldn't be interested in making up for Friday, would you? I was thinking a proper dinner at that same restaurant?"

She gave a surprised look, then an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry Cam. That sounds really nice, and I'd love to go... but I already made plans with Alex to try out the spa here. After all this monster drama, I just feel like totally chilling out tonight. Maybe some other time, ok?"

The Blue Ranger stood sputtering in surprise and disappointment as Naomi and Alex walked off toward the hotel spa laughing and gossiping between each other.

"Aw, cheer up buddy," Desmond said slinging a friendly arm around Cam's neck, "You can still hang out with Dave and I tonight."

"Thanks Desmond," Cam sighed appreciatively, "I guess that's better than nothing. What are you guys going to do anyway?"

"Well, Desmond and I thought some drunken karaoke would be fun tonight," David grinned with a laugh, "Come on, what do you say? There might be some cute girls there at the bar too."

The Blue Ranger paused for a moment before he smiled slightly and shrugged, "Sure... why not?"

"That's the spirit!" Desmond laughed clapping his shoulder, "Let's go!"

Hannah laughed to herself and shook her head gently as she watched the three boys depart the lobby. Before she left Maui, there was still one important thing left that she wanted to do.

* * *

A little while later, the Orange Ranger hurried through the thinning crowd of the resort shopping plaza that evening. As she passed a few familiar sights, she made her way back to the end of the strip where she had picked up her new Ranger weapon. Upon reaching the corner of the sporting goods store and Tommy Bahama, Hannah glanced at the small shop wedged between them... or what was left of it.

When she neared, her eyes went wide in shock as she saw the lot was vacant, likely for some time. She gazed into the store windows and saw the place was dark and completely empty. Not even the rickety wooden "Murry's" sign was still posted above either.

"What… what happened to this place?" she murmured to herself as she walked into the Tommy Bahama store to speak to the store manager. He was a kind looking white, middle aged man wearing one of the tacky faux Hawaiian shirts with floral patterns, likely a transplant to the island too. He gave her a curious look as she approached the counter.

"Good evening Miss. Can I help you? Are you looking for a gift... maybe for your Dad?"

She shook her head, "Actually no. I was hoping you could tell me about the Bait and Tackle shop next door. What happened to it? And where is Murry?"

The man blinked in confusion for a moment, "Murry? I have no idea who that is. I've been working here for several years now and that shop next door has always been empty. I heard it used to be Bait and Tackle many years ago... but compared to the other shops here in the plaza, it's a pretty silly place for one... don't you think?"

"Yeah..." Hannah nodded slowly, trying to contain her growing shock at the supernatural experience she was now having. She thanked the manager before leaving the store and ambling over toward a small fountain flanked by small palm trees. There was a part of her that felt that all these clues pointed to the actions of the deity Maui. After all, this was his island and she was using his powers. For all she knew, maybe she was even fighting with his weapon. But that was impossible! Murry had seemed like some old kooky local who suggested that Maui had pawned the hook off to him.

Then again... Maui was a trickster and the other Rangers already had a run in with the volcano goddess Pele too. Could it be the old spirits of the islands were really helping them now and getting involved? And what did that mean? Perhaps that the threats and the dangers were escalating? Hine Nui had called in some new allies... those scary mollusk soldiers of the Benthic Army. Perhaps that would be a good thing to talk about with Kanohi when they returned home to Oahu.

As she began to walk away from the fountain, Hannah glanced over toward a nearby terrace of the shopping plaza, now lit up by orange evening sunlight. To her surprise, she froze as she caught sight of Murry leaning against a sandstone pillar, watching her with a smile. The older man wore an impish grin and nodded before he winked and gave a small salute with a finger to the corner of his eyebrow. No doubt, that had to be Maui!

Hannah stepped forward to try and catch him. She still wanted to thank him for the help, but a group of passing shoppers crossed her path. The moment the shoppers cleared, the Orange Ranger looked again and saw Maui had disappeared from sight. In a way, perhaps that was to be expected.

With that, Hannah took in a deep breath of the warm evening air and checked her watch. The evening was still young and she wasn't too far from the karaoke bar where the boys were going to be tonight. She was a little curious to see if any of her friends actually had some singing talent, or if it would improve proportionately with how intoxicated they got. More than likely, she'd probably have to make sure they got back to the hotel in one piece and not make complete fools of themselves around Naomi and Alex.

Hannah smiled to herself and shrugged as she walked down the sunset-lit road toward the bar. Either way, seeing three drunk Power Rangers singing pop songs would certainly be an appropriately surreal end to an appropriately surreal weekend.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this little 6th Ranger arc. I wanted to get these chapters out a little sooner than planned as I'm going to be away traveling for the next two weeks. Between an upcoming business trip and a good friend's out of town wedding, I won't have a whole lot of time for writing.**

 **In the mean time, thanks again to all my regular readers and reviewers of Oceania! You guys and girls really are the best, and I look forward to bringing you a light hearted Green and Pink story in a few weeks! Until then!**


	25. Ahulili: Jealousy

**Episode 13: Part 1  
**

Alexandra Coach sighed as she swatted aside some bugs and pushed on through some thick tropical ferns. It was a hot steamy summer day and she tiredly trudged through the brush of the State Park, letting David clear their path ahead. As the petite Pink Ranger put her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, she gave a sigh, "Are we almost there yet?"

The Green Ranger wiped aside some sweat from his brow and looked back giving her a small grin, "Don't worry Alex. We're almost there. I'm sure I'll find exactly what I need."

Alex sighed again and shifted her little backpack now filled with plastic containers. To be honest, she wasn't sure what he was looking for, or what he was doing either. Inside the containers were all sorts of colorful wild flowers that she had spent the morning picking with David. If she had to guess, he was probably going to use the flowers for his own research, but he had remained a bit cryptic all morning.

He had originally hoped the others could go with him instead, but Naomi was busy at work and Hannah was in class today. As for Desmond and Cam, the two decided to go fishing and were already gone. At first the idea of looking at flowers sounded fun. Although she wasn't exactly an outdoorsy girl, something had compelled Alex to come along today. It was in this moment she was wondering why exactly she had agreed to help. Still, nature walks was something David enjoyed so she might as well be a good friend and make the best of it... right?

Soon enough, they came to a clearing with a small river flowing nearby and colorful pink hibiscus flowers everywhere. "Aha! Here we are," David smiled, striding forward and sitting down near the river's edge.

"I… it's beautiful," Alex said in astonishment, pleased at the sight of so many pink colored flowers.

"I'm glad you like them... and I really appreciate you coming out to help me today," the Green Ranger chucked as he pulled out a small harmonica and prepared to play it.

"Oh, don't mention it."

David gave a nod and a thoughtful smile, "I thought we could rest here for a little bit, then head back home. What do you think?"

Alex shrugged, "Sure, but aren't these flowers what you were looking for this whole time?"

David nodded and began to play a few notes on the harmonica, "Yep. It's for something special later in the week. Why don't you pick a couple out and then join me for a breather?"

"Special? I don't suppose that has anything to do with my birthday, does it?" Alex asked hopefully.

The young doctor blinked in surprise, "Oh... err, no. Sorry Alex. I was referring to some personal lab tests I was going to run."

"Oh..." the Pink Ranger replied in embarrassment as she ambled over toward some bushes and began picking a few flowers while David continued to play a mellow tune on his instrument. She had to admit, it was a nice song and she began to smile as she came over to join him by the riverbank to relax.

No sooner had she sat down to rest when a figure emerged from the river waters in curiosity. David stopped his playing and turned in surprise to see a beautiful young woman with long dark hair poke her head from the water and start swimming over toward the shoreline.

As she neared, she graced the two with a shy but friendly smile, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just heard you making beautiful music and I wanted to listen."

"Oh… well… thanks," David blushed sheepishly, "It's nothing really. I've been playing this thing since I was little."

"Well you play very well," the girl said cheerfully as she brushed a few wet strands of hair aside, "My name is Maris."

"David…" the Green Ranger replied with a stupid look on his face.

Alex rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, getting his attention again. David blinked and gave an apologetic gesture, "Oh… right. Sorry. This is my friend Alex."

The Pink Ranger raised an eyebrow and glanced around, "The river current looks a little strong. Kinda strange to be out swimming here… especially by yourself, don't you think?"

Maris giggled, "Well, not really. It's never bothered me much."

To the two young peoples' shock, a large fish-like tail splashed briefly from nearby the girl in the water, and she spun around nimbly.

"Whoah… no way," David gasped in astonishment, "Are you… are you really a mermaid?"

"That doesn't bother you?" Maris asked apprehensively.

Alex put her hands on her hips thoughtfully for a moment, "Considering some of the stuff Dave and I have seen… no, I guess not."

David hopped off the rock and waded out into the shallow waters excitedly, "Why should we be scared? This is amazing! A scientific jackpot! Do realize how much we can learn about humans and underwater evolution? I want to talk more and know all about you!"

Maris blinked before giving a flattered smile, "Really? I'd like that! Almost all the humans I've ever met reacted with fear or violence."

Alex gave an uncertain look, "Um… Dave? It is getting kinda late. Don't you think we should probably be heading home soon?"

David brushed her off, "Not now Alex. Just give me a few minutes. I have some big questions for Maris."

The Pink Ranger stood in surprise for a moment before giving a mild huff and sitting down in the grass with her arms crossed. She wasn't sure why she was feeling a little petulant at the moment. It must have been the summer heat. After all, she was sweaty, dirty, and tired. Or maybe it was because David was the only person who knew the way back to the campsite and he was now preoccupied with a talking fish.

Still... couldn't he just invite her over to the beach house to visit some other day? While the thought of seeing her friends' jaws drop at the sight of a mermaid was amusing, right now the Pink Ranger was too grumpy to care. She simply flopped back into the shade and reconciled herself to the fact she'd be stuck here for a while.

* * *

Weak sunlight filtered in through the swirling dark clouds of the Phantom Isle while General Kuta stood in the shallow waters, aiming his polearm into the water. He waited in patient silence before suddenly striking and driving the point of his halberd into the waves. Giving a smile, the mollusk general triumphantly raised his weapon to find a large juicy fish skewered at the end of it.

He removed the prey and brought it to his tentacled maw, biting down to eat the raw fish in a messy display. As he swallowed his food, he heard the voice of his mistress call from the shore, "General... when you've finished with your meal, I have another assignment for you."

The monster turned and waded over curiously to where the sea witch Hine Nui stood with a calm expression, "My Queen... what do you wish of me?"

Hine Nui looked out over the dark ocean waters around the island, "I will need you to hunt down some larger prey than the one you just devoured. My spies tell me that a mermaid princess of Lemuria is on the island of Oahu. You will capture her for me."

The mollusk warrior frowned. The Lemurian merpeople had been ancient enemies of the Benthic Armies and he wondered what his queen's angle was, "I suppose you're going to ransom her then?"

Hine Nui shook her head, "No. This particular princess has something very important that just may help us in our fight against Kanohi. Whatever you do, do not let the mermaid blow upon the coral whistle she carries. With it is a power that we can use to destroy the city of Honolulu."

Kuta nodded slowly and headed off into the dark waters. He was looking forward to another clash with the Rangers and hoping he could get his revenge for his last defeat, "You can count on me, my Queen. It shall be done."

* * *

A few days later, Alex stood in the kitchen of Naomi's beach house, pan-frying some of the fish that the Red and Blue Rangers had caught recently. While she cooked, Desmond and Cam sat at the table listening as Alex began going on another miniature rant about some points of growing annoyance... a lot of it revolving around David and Maris.

"He was supposed to come to the campus and help me go over my biology lab reports," Alex grumbled, "But instead he changed plans at the last minute to go talk to that fish girl. My report is due in two days! Can you believe it?"

Cam scratched his chin thoughtfully, "Well Alex, to be fair... coming across a friendly mermaid is pretty spectacular, even for us Power Rangers. I can't say I blame David for being a little curious either. I'm actually kinda looking forward to him inviting her over here."

"Especially if she's a hot mermaid," Desmond added with a grin, "Uh... by the way, is she?"

Alex rolled her eyes and aimed the wooden cooking spoon she was using toward him, "Sure... if you're into big fish."

She stopped when she suddenly realized who she was talking to and sighed again, "The point is, it's not fair. I went tramping through the forests to help Dave a few days ago. The least he could do is help me when I need him and not to be scatterbrained... or spending so much time with that stupid mermaid."

The Red and Blue Rangers exchanged a glance for a moment before Cam cleared his throat and gave a slow smile, "Ah... I think I understand now. Maybe you're just jealous."

Alex whirled around, "What? Me? Jealous? Ha! You couldn't be more wrong in your life Cameron."

"Now just hold on..." the Red Ranger smirked in amusement, "He may be on to something here. Maybe... just maybe you've got a little thing goin' on for Doc. Maybe the thought of him spending so much extra time with another girl... or fish-person... is bothering you. Am I getting close?"

Alex frowned and felt her cheeks turn a little pink, "Don't be ridiculous Desmond! I don't think of Dave that way."

"That's funny. Hannah told me you asked him out on a date the first day you guys met," Cam grinned triumphantly as he and Desmond exchanged another conspiratorial grin and then high fived each other.

Their laughter was cut off abruptly as the Pink Ranger smacked both of them in the head with her wooden cooking spoon and gave a growl. Before she could raise her spoon again, Naomi poked her head in from the back porch door, "Hey everybody! Dave brought an awesome new guest. Check it out!"

Desmond and Cam hurried away from the table and followed the Yellow Ranger down the porch and further up the beach line to meet their new mermaid friend. Alex stayed behind a moment and examined the fried fish in the cooking pan in front of her. Giving an ironic snort, she turned off the stove and headed outside to join the others, "What a bunch of idiots... I am not jealous."

* * *

After a short walk up the beach, the four Rangers found David and Hannah sitting on a small sandbar near the shallow waters. With them was the mermaid Maris. David was playing his harmonica for her while Hannah sat curiously chatting. When the others approached, Maris gave a friendly smile and waved while Hannah gave an excited giggle, "Can you really believe it? A real life mermaid? I've always dreamed of meeting one when I was a little girl."

Naomi chuckled and playfully poked the young diver in the head, "Gee, I'm not surprised."

"It's nice to meet all of you," Maris said pleasantly as she took the hands of the first three Ocean Rangers.

"Boy… Alex wasn't kidding before," Desmond said quietly with a mischievous smile as Cam chuckled and Naomi nudged him in the side.

David tucked away his harmonica and adjusted his glasses with a calm smile, "Maris was going to go show me some good places to find some exotic water lilies later, but I thought it would be nice to introduce her to my friends first."

"He's told me all about you five," Maris nodded sweetly, "Especially you Alex."

The Pink Ranger blinked, "Really? Oh… I don't understand."

The mermaid shrugged, "Well, I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you before at the river. I was hoping I could get an opportunity to make up for it today."

Alex hesitated a moment. Of course she didn't want to be rude and Maris seemed to be genuinely friendly as well. Still, for some reason, she didn't know why she was feeling uncomfortable about it. She brushed aside her thoughts and put on a good face, "No worries Maris. That sounds nice to me."

Just then, Alex caught sudden movement out the corner of her eye. Before the other Rangers could react, an abnormally large wave rose up from the sea and crashed down on the shore, catching them completely off guard. As the Rangers were thrown back on the beach and stunned, a small band of Nightmarcher soldiers led by General Kuta emerged from the tides. From where she lay helplessly on the sands, Maris flailed about, trying to escape before a couple of the zombies threw a thick net over her.

David was the first to rise up to his feet and shake off the effects of the mini tidal wave, "Let her go Kuta! Your fight is with us!"

"Indeed it is," the general cackled waving a pack of his troops forward, "But first a little warm up."

Alex groggily felt Desmond quickly grab her hand and haul her to her feet. "You ok?"

She nodded slowly as Desmond stepped forward to lead the other drenched Rangers into battle, "Come on everyone. We've got to cut our way through those coconut heads."

The others nodded in reply and rushed forward, trying to break through the swarm of enemy infantry. As they began to clash unmorphed, Alex kicked aside a Nighmarcher and danced around another, easily outmaneuvering it. As she began to break free and find a clear path to charge the soldiers dragging the mermaid back into the water, she stopped as she saw a handful of Nightmarchers sneak up on David and grab him from behind.

As the Green Ranger struggled to break free of the troops grappling him, Kuta strode forward, aiming his own weapon to skewer the now vulnerable foe.

Taking one more glance toward the mermaid, Alex growled to herself and turned back to the battle and rushed to help David. Using her momentum, she leapt upward with a flying jump kick and knocked aside Kuta's weapon just in time while David threw off the foot soldiers restraining him.

As Maris continued to struggle in the fishing net, the Nightmarcher zombies continued to drag her deeper into the waters. In her panic, she reached for a coral whistle that she wore around her neck and attempted to blow on it. Before she could, she suddenly felt General Kuta's first hand come down and tear it from her grasp.

"I don't think so little girl. Your little toy is valuable to Queen Hine Nui and I'm going to make sure it's used on our side."

"You won't get away with this!" Maris shouted as she was carried away by the Nightmarchers.

Kuta laughed as he tucked the whistle away and turned to face the Rangers, "I already have my dear."

Not far off, all six Ocean Rangers regrouped and faced him together, raising their Ocean Bracers. "End of the line Kuta. We want Maris back," Desmond called, "Everyone?"

In a flash, the six morphed into Power Rangers but the general gave a dismissive sniff, "As much as I'd love to stay and crush you, I don't have the time. We have much bigger targets to destroy."

With that, the mollusk opened his maw and fired a large blinding cloud of inky smoke that momentarily hindered the Rangers' vision. When the inky smoke cleared, they saw that the mollusk had retreated, along with his remaining troops and their new mermaid captive.

"Damn! We let them get away!" Desmond growled in frustration.

The Green Ranger grimaced and turned toward Alex, "During the fight you had a clear line on Maris. You should have gone and saved her instead!"

"And let you get turned into shish-kabob by Kuta? I don't think so," the Pink Ranger snapped with a defensive huff, "You're welcome by the way."

Hannah cleared her throat to break up the coming argument between her friends, "Um… what now? We have no idea where the General has taken Maris."

"But we know someone who might," Desmond answered calmly, "If they're still on Oahu, then Kanohi might be able to help us out. Come on everyone."

For the second time today, Alex lingered behind for a moment and gave a sigh before she dipped her Ocean Bracer in the waters and teleported away behind the others.


	26. Ho'oponopono: Reconciliation

**Episode 13: Part 2  
**

"Well Kanoni, what do you think?" Desmond asked as the six Ocean Rangers stood gathered around the old kahuna in the temple. The tiki's eyes flickered in thought as he paused to contemplate the situation.

"I still don't understand," Hannah said, "Why would Hine Nui be so interested in capturing a mermaid?"

"That is not just any mermaid," Kanohi corrected her, "It sounds to me that Maris may come from a royal family of merfolk… the people of the ancient Lemurian race."

David crossed his arms impatiently trying to piece things together, "Now I'm not understanding. What does this have to do with anything Kanohi? Shouldn't we be hurrying right now?"

The tiki sighed, "Patience David. You Rangers must understand the significance of this rescue. The Lemurian merfolk were once allies to some of our tribes here. They were also ancient enemies of the Benthic mollusks that General Kuta leads. Similar to our powers here, the royal Lemurian family also possessed talismans with which to call upon powers... like an Ocean zord."

Cameron's eyes went wide as realization hit him, "I see. Hine Nui must want to get a hold of that zord and she'll either take it from Maris, or ransom her off for it."

"Precisely," the kahuna replied as his eyes flickered and the others exchanged grave expressions, "Fortunately, it would seem Kuta has not yet left this island. I'm sensing him and his troops are on the far east edge of Honolulu in a shallow secluded inlet."

"All right then," Desmond said pounding his fist, "Then let's go do what we do best."

As the other Rangers began to leave the temple, Alex felt David tap her on the shoulder and give her a curious look, "Uh… hey. Are you ok Alex?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" the Pink Ranger frowned back slightly.

"Well… you've been acting kinda weird and moody all week... and then there was that near blowup on the beach."

Alex fixed her eyes back on him, "Oh, I'm acting strange? I could say the same about you. After meeting Maris just a few days ago, why are you suddenly so hell bent and serious on rescuing that mermaid?"

"Uh… because she got captured by Hine Nui's monsters?" David retorted in mild sarcasm. "That's a pretty legitimate concern, don't you think?"

"You know what I mean," Alex snapped back, "You seem especially bothered by this... and I don't want to, uh... see you lose your focus out there."

"Why would I lose my focus out there?"

The Pink Ranger glared at him, "Because you have feelings for Maris?"

David's eyes went wide in shock, "What? What on earth are you talking about? Alex, where are you coming up with all these ridiculous ideas?"

"Wait… then you don't, you know… like that mermaid?" she asked in growing embarrassment.

David shook his head in exasperation, "No! Maris is a very interesting person to talk to and learn from. Even if I wanted to… um, have relations with her, I have no idea how that would even work between a human and a merperson."

"Oh… well, it's just that you seemed really worked up about Maris getting captured," Alex muttered in a small voice.

"Because I feel responsible for putting her in danger," David explained calmly, "I invited her to meet all of you guys and we weren't able to protect her. As a Power Ranger, that doesn't sit well with me and I feel really bad about it."

Alex nodded and cleared her throat, trying to brush the whole conversation off, "I, uh… listen Dave, I'm sorry about acting all weird just now. Just forget it, ok? It's something stupid and nothing you need to worry about."

The doctor raised an eyebrow as he gave her a slow look before nodding. "Well… ok. Whatever is going on, we can clear things up later. The important thing is that we hurry up and save our new friend. Will you help me?"

The Pink Ranger graced him with a small smile and clapped his arm, "Like you have to ask. What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Kuta stood on the shoreline watching the tide recede as Maris struggled tiredly against the restraints. She was still tangled in the heavy fishing net and bound to the beach sands, away from the water. As the tide grew lower and lower, the mermaid began to grow weaker from her prolonged exposure to the land and air.

"What's wrong dear? Getting a little hard to breathe? Or are you drying out perhaps?" the mollusk laughed again holding up the coral whistle. "Hine Nui will be very pleased that I've recovered this royal treasure… but before I return, why not have a little fun first?

He put the whistle to his mouth and blew a long sustained note that echoed out across the waters. While Kuta stood calmly, Maris curled up in dread while the other Nightmarchers gazed out across the ocean in quiet curiosity.

After several long moments, a large swell in the distant waters rose up, giving way to a tall black fin in its wake. Kuta smiled while the Nightmarchers recoiled in fear at the intimidating sight of a fierce zord creature: a colossal killer whale. As it neared, it gave an angry cry, causing the mollusk general to laugh.

"That's right… you serve me now and the first thing I want you do is to attack the city of Honolulu. Smash it to pieces, and if those pesky Ocean Rangers get in the way, destroy them too!"

The killer whale zord gave another shriek and transformed itself into a two legged fighter mode before stomping off toward the city.

As Kuta watched the zord lumber off into the distance, he turned his head to address the six morphed Ocean Rangers as they came charging up the beach. He gave a calm sneer as the Nightmarchers formed up around him to bar the Rangers' path. "Well, it's about time you showed up. I imagine your precious little fish girl here is about to shrivel up any minute now."

"Thanks for lining this all up Kuta," Cam called back defiantly, "That means all we have to do is kick your sorry butt now and take Maris back."

The mollusk laughed again, "I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple Blue Ranger. Look!"

He raised the mermaid's coral whistle and pointed off on the near horizon where the killer whale zord was approaching the city of Honolulu, "It's your choice. Save the girl, or your city."

Desmond gritted his teeth before David stepped forward and summoned his war club, "We'll take a third option. We'll do both."

Turning to the Red Ranger he said, "Call the Ocean zords and stop that thing. It's my fault Maris is in trouble. I'll deal with Kuta."

"Not without me," Alex corrected him, summoning her coral knuckle weapons and tapping him on the arm.

Desmond glanced at the two for a moment before nodding and pulling the Royal Conch shell. "All right. We'll be back as soon as we can."

With that, he blew the shell and summoned the five Ocean zords. While he, Cam, and Naomi took the helm, Hannah raised her own weapon toward the sea. "All right, time to give this thing a try myself."

After a few moments, she spotted movement in the deep waters and watched in awe as a large orange fish erupted from the ocean and spread its extra long fins out, sending it airborne. "A flying fish? Awesome! My Dad would be so proud of me right now."

As the Ocean Force Megazord assembled and moved to block the killer whale, the Orange Ranger boarded her own zord and swooped into battle alongside her friends. "You guys look like you could use a hand."

"I'd never turn down any help that was offered," Desmond answered, calling on the Megazord's swordfish weapon.

Beside him, Cam scrutinized the battlefield and spoke up, "We should probably fight defensively and try not to hurt that thing too much. Remember, that killer whale is a potential ally under Kuta's control."

"Roger that Lieutenant," Hannah called as her flying fish zord swooped in and sprayed the Orca with a cloud of blinding energy bubbles.

While the zords locked horns with each other and began to grapple in the distant waters, David and Alex charged up the beach to reach Maris in time. The Green Ranger used his large build to sweep away Nightmarchers with his club while the Pink Ranger nimbly outmaneuvered the others, or punched them aside using her knuckle weapons. As the Rangers plowed through the troops, Kuta stepped forward, ready to meet their charge, "You will not get past me!"

Alex gestured to her fellow Ranger, "Wanna give Kuta a dance lesson? Follow my lead!"

The two gripped hands and David swung Alex forward to attack first, kicking aside the mollusk's weapon. As the Green Ranger turned into the step, he blocked the opposite end of the general's polearm with his own club before twirling Alex back around. This time, the Pink Ranger brought her augmented fist around to strike Kuta in the face and blind him with a momentary burst of elemental light.

As she did a handspring off the monster, David dropped his shoulder and bullrushed the general aside to draw him away. While they struggled, Alex rushed over to where Maris lay, weakly gasping through her netting.

"Hold on girl. I'll get you outta here in no time," the Pink Ranger said calling her Ocean Dagger and slicing through the netting. Once free, Alex pulled Maris up into a fireman's carry and charged back toward the ocean water.

"No! You can't do this!" Kuta roared as he continued to grapple with the Green Ranger.

"Sorry tentacle breath. Looks like you'll have some explaining to do to Hine Nui," David smiled, bringing his club around and smashing the general on the chin to knock him backward.

Kuta rolled along the ground and rose to his knee with a growl, "You'll pay for that Ranger. Maybe I'll have the whale zord crush you instead."

"Oh, I don't think so," Dave replied holding up the coral whistle he had swiped from Kuta while they were wrestling. The only one getting crushed is going to be you."

As Alex dropped Maris safely back into the waters, David began to blow on the whistle, calling out to the rogue zord. In the far distance, the Ocean Force Megazord and the Killer Whale zord were busy exchanging blows.

"Come on everyone... we have to keep pushing," Desmond gasped while he, Cam, and Naomi struggled at their controls to keep their own Megazord upright against the great strength of the whale. To their surprise, the whale zord suddenly began to let up and relax its stance.

"What happened?" Naomi asked in shock, trying to catch her breath.

From high above, Hannah and her flying fish circled the battlefield and she caught sight of the developments on the beachfront. "I think Dave and Alex just turned the tide. Looks like the whale is on our side again."

"This can't be happening! I was so close!" Kuta snarled as Dave tossed the whistle back to Maris in the water.

"You were too greedy and ambitious General. That's why you and all your kind will keep losing to us," Maris smiled putting the whistle to her lips, "Now it's time for a little payback."

She blew the whistle and quickly called her zord back to the battlefield. The remaining Nightmarchers could only cower in fear as their mollusk commander looked up in dread toward the colossal war machine before him.

The mermaid raised an arm signaling the zord, "Ok Orca! You know what to do!"

The zord swept its hand out over the beach and grabbed Kuta and his troops in one swift motion. Without losing any momentum, the zord pivoted and violently hurled the monsters back out toward the deep ocean, pitching them like a handful of little stones.

The Green and Pink Rangers could only exchange a small smile as they heard Kuta's furious cries and curses echo in the air before he disappeared beneath the waves again. While the other Rangers made their way back to regroup on the beach, David put a hand on Alex's shoulder, "You know... I never did get a chance to say this, but thanks for the assist, especially today."

"Don't mention it," she answered with a smile as their friends neared, "We made a pretty good team besides."

* * *

As the fading orange red sun began to set over the empty beach, the Ocean Rangers gathered around their new friend as she prepared to return home. One by one, the mermaid princess took each of the Rangers' hands and said her goodbyes.

"Thank you again for saving my life today Rangers," Maris smiled, "It makes me happy to know that there are still good hearted people on the land who are willing to protect others… especially those who are different from themselves."

"It was just the right thing to do," Naomi said gently, "Your kingdom of Lemuria was an old ally of our mentor Kanohi's tribe. Honor-bound or not, we weren't about to let a bunch of overgrown mollusks harm you."

David was the next to approach and kneel by the waters, "I've learned quite a bit and I'm glad we were able to become friends. I'm sorry you came to harm in all this."

Maris shook her head, "Don't blame yourself David. I wanted to learn more about you humans and make some friends too. If this event will help strengthen our alliance against the Benthic Armies, then I have no regrets."

Turning to Alex, the mermaid held out the coral whistle, "Thank you for saving me Alexandra. I owe you my life and I wanted to give a token of gratitude. With this whistle, the killer whale zord Orca will loyally fight beside you Rangers against our enemies."

"Thank you," Alex said in astonishment, "But I really can't accept this. Besides, I didn't get much of a chance to speak to you, and that was partially my own fault."

Maris shook her head again and closed the Pink Ranger's fingers around the whistle, "You demonstrated your friendship and your goodness to me through your actions… besides, I understand you have a birthday coming up. Please accept this gift."

Alex gave a quiet smile and nodded as the mermaid took one last wave to the Rangers and dove back into the waters to swim home. As Naomi began to walk off following the other boys, Alex took one more thoughtful look at the waters before she felt Hannah poke her arm, "Hey, are you coming, or what?"

"Yeah…" she nodded quietly as she followed the Orange Ranger from the waters and up onto the sandy beach.

* * *

A few days later, the Ocean Rangers gathered at the Silver Marlin restaurant in Waikiki to celebrate Alex's birthday over dinner. As they gathered around a table and ordered some appetizers from Bailey, David finally arrived, carrying a large wrapped up parcel under his arm.

"Hey Doc! You finally made it!" Desmond grinned cheerfully as he moved aside to make some room, "Better late than never, right?"

The Green Ranger shrugged with a sheepish smile toward Alex, "Hey, sorry I'm late. I just got off of work and was wrapping up your birthday gift."

Alex gave a surprised look as she took the gift and examined it, "Oh… you really didn't have to get me anything."

The Green Ranger adjusted his glasses and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah… well, considering you were a little upset at me earlier in the week, I thought it would be appropriate. I'm sorry about not being around when you needed me before. All my extra time kinda went into working on this gift."

From beside Alex, Hannah poked her head over curiously, "I wonder what it is."

Alex sighed patiently and gently pushed the teen's face aside before unwrapping the gift. To her surprise, she found a framed portrait and inside the picture glass was a beautiful colored arrangement of dried flowers, laid out in an intricate pattern. As the Pink Ranger looked closer, she recognized them as the flowers she had helped David pick earlier that week. In prominent display were the pink hibiscus flowers from the river that she liked.

"I thought you could use something to spruce up your apartment," the doctor said.

"I… Dave… this is beautiful," she exclaimed, "What a thoughtful gift. You made this all yourself?"

David nodded, "Yeah, I had wanted to add a few more species of flowers that grew near water, so I asked Maris to help me out. That's why I had been spending a little extra time with her this week... I hope you don't mind."

"No… not at all. Thank you," Alex smiled in appreciation, "Honestly, I don't know what to say right now."

"How about that you forgive me for whatever you were upset about?" David offered as he sat down beside her, "And that we can be friends again?"

Alex gave a warm smile and surprised everyone by reaching up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Well… ok. Only because we're friends."

David could only sit in astonishment before breaking out into a relieved smile and rubbing his cheek.

As Naomi and Hannah laughed loudly, Desmond and Cam exchanged another knowing smile with each other before they saw Alex pick up her tablespoon and shoot a quick warning look toward them. Before the others could catch their silent exchange, Alex flashed a bright smile again and raised her utensil, "Ok, who's up for some ice cream and birthday cake?"

 **A/N:**  
 **To Ranger Red 2.0: Thanks my friend. Glad to be back! To quote the original Red Ranger, "Back to Action!"**

 **To the other Guest review: Yep, I'm aware my screen name is a play on words. I love stories of medieval knights and I love to write so hence the name. I'm not going to make any promises for teamups with other OC authors yet as I haven't read through enough series. I'll keep the idea open though, but thanks for the support otherwise!**

 **Also, a big thank you goes to ImaSupernaturalCSI for pointing out an embarrassing continuity error on my part. The merfolk are Lemurian, not Deluvian. It's now been edited, so thanks again for the catch!**


	27. Wahine Ino Loa: Evil Woman

**Episode 14: Part 1  
**

Crowds of visiting high school students and teachers milled about the large open gymnasium as Naomi Sato led some of her Ranger friends toward the front steps. Beside her, Hannah and Alex walked along, proudly pointing out landmarks of the University of Hawaii where they were both attending school.

"It's too bad Dave is stuck at work today," Desmond said cheerfully as he looked about the campus, "I'm sure he'd be really interested in this science fair competition."

Naomi turned and gave her friends a grateful smile while they walked, "Thanks again for coming along you guys. My cousin Leilani worked really hard on her science project to make the finals this year. You guys know she doesn't have a lot of friends, but I know it would mean a lot to her that we all came."

"Don't mention it Naomi," Cam replied gallantly, "If showing support for your family is important to you, then it's important to me too... to all of us."

"Thanks, that's very sweet of you," the Yellow Ranger said in surprise, gracing him with a smile before Hannah pulled her away to point out another sight on campus.

Cam gave a small satisfied nod to himself before he felt a light poke in the side from Alex. The Pink Ranger wore a smug grin, "Nice save there Romeo... you almost made yourself too obvious."

She began to laugh quietly as Cam frowned back at her but they were interrupted when they heard the excited squeal of a familiar girl.

"Naomi! You came! I can't believe it!" Leilani cried rushing up to give her older cousin a hug, "And you brought your friends too!"

"Of course Lili. I thought you could use a cheering section," the Yellow Ranger chuckled.

Leilani smoothed out her white sundress with orange flowers before pulling Naomi inside the gym excitedly, "Come on, let me show you my project! I'll be presenting soon and it'll knock your socks off!"

The other Rangers exchanged amused smiles and followed them inside, observing all the other high school students who were presenting their various projects to judges from the university. As they gathered around Leilani's project, a group of judges stopped in to listen to her presentation. "My project is all about lava and my research centers on how and why rocks melt."

"You know, I've never been much of a student, but this suddenly sounds really interesting to me," Desmond whispered quietly to Cam and Alex.

The crowd listened intently as Leilani began to go into an explanation behind the science of melting rocks. "To make lava, your first thought might be to add heat until you exceed the melting point of the rock, but there are quicker ways to do it. One way is to lower its melting point with volatiles such as water and carbon dioxide in certain conditions. It's the same thing as throwing salt on ice to melt it quicker."

"Reminds me of the icy winters back home in Minnesota," Alex muttered to herself wistfully.

"Another quick way to melt rock is through rapid decompression which brings rocks to a pressure where the melting point is lower. This is especially true in some volcanic regions out in the open ocean where tectonic plates move and shift against each other."

While Leilani went on, Naomi glanced down in dismay to see the yellow coral stones of her Ocean Bracer flicker, signaling trouble. "Oh crap... not now Kanohi."

She caught the grim looks of the other Rangers who exchanged silent nods and began to slip back into the crowd so that they could respond to the call. The Yellow Ranger grimaced toward her cousin before slipping off into the crowd to join the others. As she ran from the gym, she whispered quietly, "I'm so sorry Lili. I'll be back soon. I promise."

* * *

After having morphed, the five Ocean Rangers stopped in surprise as they came across a pack of Nightmarchers wreaking havoc on the campus of the school. As they overturned benches and chased terrified students away from the grassy quad, Naomi stopped and scratched her head, "Huh... What are they doing here? Aren't they a little far from the water?"

"Well, I doubt they're here for undergrad degrees," Cam quipped calling his sharkfin saber. "What I want to know is where their field commander is."

The Orange and Pink Rangers suddenly blew past the others with their weapons already drawn, "Those creeps are trashing our school. Less talking, more butt-kicking!"

While Alex began punching out zombies and Hannah mowed through the first wave with her bladed whip, Desmond shrugged and summoned his spear, "Uh... ok? Surf's up Rangers... I guess."

* * *

Meanwhile across campus, Leilani finished her presentation and received a great round of applause from her audience. As she scanned the crowd, her heart fell as she couldn't see the face of Naomi or her friends either. Why would her cousin just leave? Was the presentation really that bad? Had she bored her?

The young girl held back a tear or two as those insecure thoughts began swirling in her mind before a professional looking woman in a dark suit approached her. She looked to be a middle aged Polynesian woman who was still very attractive with her long dark hair and eyes. Underneath her angled glasses were sharp features hinting at a sharp mind as well. The lady removed her glasses and put her black binder under her arm, "Miss Leilani Overahani?"

Leilani stopped and glanced at the woman curiously. "Uh... yes. Do I know you?"

"Dr. Po, of the University of Hawaii Geology department," she replied extending a hand, "I just wanted to say that was a very impressive research project you did."

Leilani sighed bleakly to herself as she shook hands, "Thanks... I'm glad some people actually cared."

"Oh I do care," Dr. Po said, "In fact, I care so much that I'd like to talk more with you about your work... maybe get you involved in some research I'm doing here at the university. I can already tell you have a lot of talent and I think it would be a great experience for you. Perhaps it could lead to a full ride scholarship for when you go to college?"

The girl's eyes went wide, "Really? I... wow... that sounds awesome!"

Dr. Po gave a slow smile and handed Leilani a business card, "My card. Feel free to call any time, my dear."

At that moment, the Ocean Rangers returned to the gym after having rushed back from driving off the Nightmarcher attack. Naomi led the way with a frantic look before reaching her cousin. "Is it over? Did we miss the rest? I am so sorry Lili!"

The younger girl's features hardened and she gave the Yellow Ranger a harsh glare, "Where did you go Naomi? You said you'd be here for me today and then you just ran off! You weren't really interested in listening to all my boring science stuff, were you?"

"No! That's not it!" Naomi pleaded, "I... something came up... err, it was work related. I didn't mean for it to take so long... Honest"

Leilani huffed and crossed her arms, "And that required all your other friends to come too? Don't lie to me Naomi."

The other Rangers remained silent and shifted their weight uncomfortably. Naomi floundered for a response, "Ah... well..."

"Whatever," Leilani snapped, "If you want to go screw around with all your friends instead, I'm going to go talk to someone who actually cares about my work. Dr. Po, let's talk more about that offer."

The lady in the dark suit gave the Rangers a smug smile before leading Leilani off. From where she stood, Naomi lowered her head and gave a deep sigh wondering how on earth she was going to smooth things over with her angry cousin.

* * *

Meanwhile, the ancient sea witch Hine Nui turned away from the dark pool of water she used as a spying mirror. As she began to pace her dark lair on the Phantom Island, a small smile crept upon her dark lips. Moments later, her thoughts were interrupted by General Kuta as he cleared his throat and remained standing at attention nearby.

"My Queen, is this all really necessary?" he asked sourly.

The sea witch smiled again and continued pacing, "After your repeated failures of late, I don't think you're in any position to question me General."

Kuta growled to himself as Hine Nui continued, "When direct force doesn't work, sometimes its best to use subtly and subterfuge."

"But what does that have to do with you creating a shadow aspect of yourself?"

The witch curled her pale bony fingers through her dark hair, "Unlike the old days of our magic, modern humans draw great power from science and research in their places of higher learning. I intend to use it against them, with the added bonus of driving wedges between them."

"You mean the science girl and the Yellow Ranger?" Kuta asked.

"Precisely," Hine Nui nodded, "If this Leilani girl can help give me enough information, we just may have a way to quickly melt all the rocks forming the Hawaiian Islands and kill everyone in a wave of molten lava."

As Hine Nui began to cackle loudly, General Kuta could not help but smile. Perhaps destroying the humans this way wasn't the method he preferred, but the thought of such fear and destruction being spread was an exhilarating feeling.

* * *

Later that evening, the Ocean Rangers finished up eating a late dinner at the beach house. While Desmond sat at the table finishing a couple leftover crabs, Hannah and David stood at the sink busily washing the dishes before they would head home. As Cam poured a fresh glass of iced tea, he stopped and glanced over toward the porch where Naomi sat by herself, glumly looking out over the dark waves.

He paused a moment before he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him. The Blue Ranger turned to see Alex fixing him with an amused smile and tilting her head toward the porch. "You know... Naomi left the table early. She could probably use a friend right now."

"Well... yeah, but you're a lot better when it comes to all the feelings and relationshipy stuff."

Alex smirked again and gave a gentle push from behind, "You could use the practice. Now go."

"You're getting back at me for the mermaid thing, aren't you?" Cam sighed as he headed toward he porch.

"That's right Monroe. Now we're even again!" the Pink Ranger called giving a sweet but mischievous wave from the table.

Cam rolled his eyes again and walked out on the deck of the wooden porch. He paused for a moment before sitting down next to Naomi tentatively, "Hey... uh, it's warm out tonight. I thought you could use a drink."

The Yellow Ranger glanced over at him before reluctantly taking the iced tea, "Thanks."

After another long pause, Cam cleared his throat, "I uh... also thought you could use a shoulder to lean on after what happened today. Do you want to talk about it?"

Naomi took a sip of the tea before tossing it out over edge of the porch petulantly, "Why? I'm sure you can tell that I'm usually running into some crazy drama with my family members whether I want it or not."

The Blue Ranger paused in thoughtful silence before speaking again, "But I can tell that your family is very important to you too. Like I said earlier today, we Rangers are your friends so if this family issue matters to you, then it matters to us... and to me."

Naomi studied him curiously for a minute before nodding and leaning over to rest the side of her head against his shoulder, "I really screwed up today Cam. I let Lili down when I had to put my duty as a Ranger first."

"You shouldn't blame yourself. You did what you had to do. Leilani will be upset for a while, but I'm sure she'll come around in time."

Naomi shook her head slightly, "It's not that easy. Leilani has always been kind of a loner, especially since she lost her dad when she was young. I think it had kinda affected her and caused her to withdraw a little... but in a way, losing a parent was something that both she and I could bond over."

Cam tried to give a reassuring smile, "Well, for one thing, you seemed to turn out ok... and Leilani seems like a pretty nice girl too."

"We both dealt with things in our own ways," Naomi sighed, "I always tried to surround myself with fun people and be popular, whereas Lili fell back on her interest in science to keep from thinking too much about painful things. Maybe she feels a little insecure... I know that she really relies on me for friendship and I really hurt her trust today."

The Blue Ranger nodded, "Maybe... but you can always work to rebuild it. If Leilani is hurt, then she's really going to need you now. Just start by calling her tomorrow. I know since we've become Rangers, you've become a better stronger person so I'm sure you can have some of that rub off on your cousin too right? We'll all help if you need it... me included."

He felt the Yellow Ranger shift again and relax more. She leaned more into his shoulder, while closing her eyes with a tired but grateful smile, "Thanks Cam... let's do that."

"Ok," Cam replied reaching around with his arm to put it over her. He hesitated again for a brief moment before gently resting his hand on her shoulder and sitting in companionable silence with her, listening to the steady pounding of the dark evening waves roll onto the shores.

* * *

The next day, Leilani greeted Dr. Po at the door of her family house and invited her inside. After leading her to a large well-lit basement, the younger girl showed off an impressive collection of scientific equipment and a scale model of the Hawaiian islands. Here and there were volcanic rocks, crucibles, and burners.

"You must be very excited about advancing to the top three in yesterday's competition," Dr. Po said as she examined the model of the islands. "I'm also quite pleased you were so quick to draw up a diagram of the question I posed to you the other day."

Leilani gave a proud smile, "Gee, it was nothing. It was actually kind of an interesting question... what locations would potentially cause widespread volcanic decompression of the island's bedrock. I ran some simulations, and here you can see the theoretical locations I marked, starting with our island of Oahu."

"Excellent," Dr. Po said with a hint of a feral smile, "This information will be very valuable to me."

She was suddenly interrupted as Leilani's cell phone began to ring and vibrate on the table. The girl quickly scooped it up and glanced at the caller ID. She took a long pause before she silenced the phone and slipped it in her pocket. "Oh... uh, sorry about that Dr. Po."

"Anybody important?" the dark woman asked curiously.

Leilani frowned to herself, "Just my stupid older cousin. Ironic that she actually wants to talk now that I'm giving another science presentation."

Dr. Po smirked in amusement, "I take it she doesn't appreciate our field of interest?"

Leilani sighed, "Not really. Naomi was never all that interested in academics or studying... but it still hasn't kept me from feeling a little jealous of her to this day."

Dr. Po quirked an eyebrow curiously as she let the girl vent, "She's always been so great with people, you know? Compared to me, Naomi is so athletic, and popular, and pretty. I mean, she's always been good to me... but sometimes it just doesn't feel fair."

Dr. Po gave a sympathetic smile and draped her long fingers over Leilani's shoulder, "I know how it feels to be forgotten and unappreciated child. But that is why people like you and I will shake the world to its core and show all those people... we will have our revenge."

Leilani blinked, "Revenge? Wait... what?"

She looked down and saw the professor's hand had grown pale and the woman had taken on a much more ghastly sinister appearance, "Wait... who... who are you?"

The woman stepped closer as dark tendrils of shadowy energy radiated from her, almost like tentacles. "You are a Hawaiian. Don't you recognize me? I am Hine Nui Te Po."

"The ancient Maori goddess of death and darkness?" Leilani squeaked in fear, "Of course... Dr. Po. Po is the word for Night."

Hine Nui's shadowy projection gave a sinister smile and purred, "Such a smart girl. Now come along... we have much work to do."

Before Leilani could scream in terror, she found herself engulfed in a wave of magical darkness.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Special thanks to Ms. Strange-Imagination for creating the great supporting OC, Leilani Overahani. This episode is for you. :)**


	28. Ohana: Family

**Episode 14: Part 2  
**

The calm sounds of the surf rippled from the beach as Desmond Waihee lay back in a hammock at the back yard of the beach house. In the shade provided by the two palm trees, the Red Ranger gave a content yawn as he prepared to settle in for an early afternoon nap… until he was shaken awake violently.

Desmond yelped in surprise and toppled out of the hammock only to look up and see the worried face of the Yellow Ranger. "Geez, what the hell Naomi? I was just trying to get some shut eye!"

"Sorry Desmond," she said beginning to nervously pace the sandy yard while checking her cell phone again, "I'm just a little worried… and I think I might need your help… well, everybody's help, really."

The Red Ranger sat up and frowned in genuine concern now, "What's wrong?'

"I'm worried about Leilani. She hasn't been answering any of my calls or text messages."

Desmond scratched the side of his head, "Well, to be fair… she was pretty upset yesterday. Maybe she's just giving you the cold shoulder?"

Naomi grimaced, "Well, maybe. But it's not like her, even when she's mad. I'd feel better going to her house to try and speak to her in person. Will you and Cam come along just to help smooth things over?"

Desmond glanced toward his hammock before giving a reluctant sigh, "Sure. Maybe I can take a nap on the car ride there."

* * *

Dr. David Hosokawa stepped outside of the city hospital where he worked and took a deep breath. After having worked a late shift, it was good to finally be free. As he walked down the front steps of the hospital, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out curiously. Seeing it was the Yellow Ranger, he picked it up, "Hey Naomi. Is everything ok?"

"Sorry to bother you Dave, but I'm looking for my cousin Leilani. I'm over at my Aunt Kalaheo's house right now with Desmond and Cam, and she said Lili was last seen with a geology professor from the university… some woman named Dr. Po."

David yawned, but shook it off, "Ok. The hospital is fairly close to the school. You want me to poke my head in and check?"

"Could you? Alex and Hannah should be getting out of classes soon so you can meet them there."

"Will do," the Green Ranger sighed ending the call. If Naomi's cousin had in fact gone missing, then it looked like he was going to have to pull a double shift now.

* * *

By the time the first three Ocean Rangers arrived at the campus of the university, they caught sight of David, Alex, and Hannah leaving the Student Union and hurrying across the lawn to meet them. The Yellow Ranger gave the others a hopeful look while asking, "So… any word?"

Hannah shifted uncomfortably while she chewed her lip, "Well…yes, but it's not the good kind."

Alex cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes, "We asked around and it turns out there's no professor, or anyone on staff here named Dr. Po. Same at some of the other nearby schools."

"Oh my God… my cousin's been kidnaped?" Naomi gasped in growing anxiety, "Who is this person… where would they go?"

The others turned as Cam unfolded a piece of paper that looked like a map of Oahu. On it were the marks of volcanic locations made by Leilani. He held it up with a serious expression, "Whatever is going on, we have a feeling this map may give us some answers."

Desmond nodded in agreement, "We found it in Leilani's basement lab. If these are possible locations she was taken to, then we'll have to split up and search. The moment one of us runs into trouble, we call the others, understood?

Everyone nodded and took a position on the map to explore. After breaking their little huddle, they split up and began to look for the nearest water source to teleport away and begin doing some scouting of their own.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the shadow projection of Hine Nui paced around the small rocky canyon that Leilani had pointed out on her volcanic chart of the island. Nearby, the young girl struggled as she found herself restrained by a few Nightmarcher soldiers, while others continued to craft a large structure resembling a sort of drill bit made of a dark metallic alloy.

"You're certain this will work?" Hine Nui asked as she inspected the black magic drilling object.

"You're certain that thing will even be able to drill into the ground?" Leilani retorted, "It looks pretty flimsy to me."

The witch furiously reached over and grabbed the girl's face, barely pressing her nails against the Leilani's cheeks, "You share your cousin's defiant nature. I find it most irritating."

Leilani blinked in confusion before Hine Nui released her and snapped again, "Answer my question girl… will it work?"

The girl trembled slightly, "I… don't know exactly… it's all theoretical… and we'd need to run some experiments with…"

"Enough!" the witch growled, turning to her foot soldiers, "Prepare the digging tool."

As the undead minions continued to push and drag the magically created device into place, Hine Nui approached her prisoner and gave an impassive sneer, "Just think little girl. If your guess was right, then you are going to get a very close up encounter with molten lava… much closer than you've ever had before. Perhaps you'd get a few minutes to study it before it incinerates you."

Leilani gulped in fear at the thought as the sea witch began to cackle again in malicious glee. Moments later, her laughter was cut short as a powerful summoned burst of wind swept across the wide rocky pit. Hine Nui and her Nightmarchers all stopped and glanced up to the lip of the hill where the Yellow Ranger stood by herself, unmorphed.

Leilani's eyes went wide, "Naomi? What are you doing? Get out of here! Save yourself!"

The Ranger shook her head, "No Lili… I'm not leaving without you. I've already let you down once… I'm not going to do it again."

"Very noble of you Yellow Ranger, but your bravado won't be enough to stop me," the witch interrupted.

Leilani's eyes went wide before she frowned in confusion, "Yellow Ranger? What is she talking about?"

Naomi raised her Ocean Bracer and prepared to morph, "Don't worry you hag… you messed with my family… I have more than enough for you."

"Insolence! Do you even know who I am? I am Hine Nui! Mistress of Death and Darkness!"

Naomi froze for a moment. Could this really be the dreaded sea witch herself? Kanohi's greatest enemy from ancient days?

She took a deep breath and tried to steel her nerves, "I don't care who you are. Let Leilani go or I'll put you down myself."

Hine Nui's shadow laughed derisively, "If you're so eager to see the afterlife, I'll show you the way. Nightmarchers! Start the device!"

In a heartbeat, a group of Nightmarchers activated the witch's giant burrowing spike and cleared out as it began to spin, drilling into the earth toward a reservoir of lava. Without hesitating, Naomi charged forward and morphed on the move while calling her serrated hand clubs. From her position, Leilani could only stare in wide eyed wonder at her cousin's miraculous transformation.

The sea witch snarled and hurled several spiraling bolts of inky shadows but the Yellow Ranger tumbled through them and countered by calling up a sudden whirlwind of dirt in front of her. Hine Nui growled in fury as she was momentarily blinded by the dust devil while Naomi blew past her and made a leaping attack toward the Nightmarchers holding Leilani.

Before the undead guards could react, the Yellow Ranger hurled a club, taking down a foe while she landed and struck the remaining two away with her other club. Both zombies went flying from the strike backed by elemental wind while the first club was swept up and returned to the Ranger's waiting hand.

Leilani could only gasp and look up in shock at her morphed cousin now reaching out to help her rise. "Lili! Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

The girl blinked, trying to regain her senses, "I... yeah. Naomi? Is that really you? Are you really a... Power Ranger?"

The Yellow Ranger nodded and put her arms around her cousin, "I'm so sorry all this happened Leilani. It was my fault, and I promise you that I'm going to make things right again."

Leilani hugged her back and nodded, "I know you will... and I'm sorry too Naomi. Deep down I'd never doubt that you cared about me."

Naomi touched the girl's cheek lovingly before turning back to face her foe, "We're Ohana, Lili. Family. Nothing will ever get in the way of that... but right now, I'm going to need you to take cover."

Leilani nodded and scrambled away to the sidelines behind some rocks and shrubs while Hine Nui blew away the dust devil and fixed a murderous glare on the lone Power Ranger. "You have a lot of nerve child. But you'll never be able to defeat me and stop my drill from triggering a volcanic overflow.

With a shriek, the sea witch suddenly called forth a swarm of black wispy tentacles to snare Naomi but both combatants were shocked as five more fighters intervened and destroyed the tentacles. The Yellow Ranger turned in shock as her five fellow Rangers joined the fight, morphed and holding their respective weapons.

"I... what are you all doing here?" Naomi gasped, "How did you guys know to come here?"

Hannah gave a wink and tapped her bracelet, "Give that old tiki Kanohi some credit. He can hear us and speak to us through these things remember? You sounded like you were in trouble."

Desmond squared off toward the sea witch with a confident smirk, "You didn't think we'd let you face down Hine Nui all by yourself, did you?"

The shadowy projection of the sea witch cackled, "Now that you're all here, it will make my job of destroying you all the easier."

David glanced over toward the drill spike that was burrowing into the earth and saw spurts of steam and lava begin to rise, "We'll have to choose one or the other. We don't have a lot of time here."

Naomi nodded and stepped forward, "All right, if you guys are willing, I have a plan. Desmond and Hannah, you two are with me. Dave, Cam, and Alex, I need you to buy us some time."

Cam readied his sword and took a defensive stance toward Hine Nui, "We're right behind you Naomi."

The Yellow Ranger turned and prompted Desmond, causing him to smile, "All right! Surf's up Rangers!"

While the Blue, Green, and Pink Rangers moved to take on Hine Nui's shadow, Hannah pulled her hook weapon and extended it into its whip-like form. She gave the line a quick twirl before tossing it and snaring the top of the dark drill spike in the ground.

"Desmond, get ready to put on your fireproof suit and take the spike out," the Yellow Ranger called as she swept her clubs through the air, kicking up a powerful swirling vortex of wind. As Hannah struggled to pull the drill spike from advancing any further, the suction of the windstorm began to swirl around the hole being burrowed and pull Hine Nui's spike out.

Soon enough, the large drill spike emerged from the hole as hot lava began to spray out in intermittent geysers. The moment he saw his chance, Desmond called upon the power of the gift Pele had given him. The black volcanic stones glowed and engulfed him in a bright glowing fire proof aura as the Red Ranger surged forward with his own spear aimed at the center of the spike.

In a burst of red fire and light, Desmond thrusted his weapon forward with great force and lanced through the large spike as another cloud of volcanic magma erupted all over him. Meanwhile, the other Rangers were thrown back from the force of Hine Nui's magic.

"What a pathetic lot," the witch sneered, "Are you really the warriors Kanohi has chosen to defend the islands from me?"

"Oh... we're just warming up," Alex grunted, picking herself up slowly, "We let you have the first round."

David shook the stars from his vision and gripped his club tighter while turning to the Blue Ranger, "This doesn't look good. We couldn't even get near that witch to strike. How are we going to stop her?"

Cam rose to his feet again while using his sword to steady himself, "Well, short of dropping a house her... you'll have to give me a minute to think of something."

Seeing her friends fall back from Hine Nui's onslaught, Naomi glanced about the battlefield and spotted the still bubbling well of hot lava that was coming up in spurts. She gripped her clubs and gave a wave, "Ok everyone, time to use a little bit of science."

Desmond spotted the lava and gave a nod of understanding, "Ok, Alex and Hannah, get in position. Dave, you're with me. Cam, back up Naomi!"

The Rangers spread out and regrouped while Desmond drew the sea witch toward the lava with some taunts and jeers. "Hey! Queen-ae Nui! Over here! I'm talking to you!"

"Red Ranger, you will be the first to die!" she snarled surging forward with her long sharp fingernails extended. As Desmond positioned her near the lava well, David stopped the witch's blow with his club and halted her.

He grunted for a moment just as Alex and Hannah made a dual leaping attack from behind, blinding their enemy with their light element attacks. Hine Nui shrieked and blocked the strikes, but the force threw her backward, almost right into the lava pit.

"And volatiles like water and air will lower the boiling point of the rocks," Naomi echoed Leilani as she and Cam let loose a combined elemental strike from nearby to trigger a swell of lava from the ground and melt the earth underneath Hine Nui's shadow form.

The sea witch screamed in fury and thrashed as the lava spray seared away the shadowy body she projected on the island. "This is far from over Rangers! Next time we meet, I will destroy you!"

"Yeah sure... that's what all your other monsters said too," Desmond snorted giving a wave as Hine Nui's form burned away completely.

As the shadow faded and the lava geyser settled back into the earth, Leilani poked her head out from her hiding place while all the others powered down. As she approached, her cousin tossed the spare volcano chart she had made for Hine Nui into the fires before turning toward her with a look of tired relief.

"Your friends... they're all Ocean Rangers too?"

The Yellow Ranger nodded as she stepped forward, "Lili... I think it's time we all sat down and had a long talk."

* * *

Later the next afternoon, all six Ocean Rangers gathered back at the local university to attend the final decision for the winner of the annual local science fair competition. After a brief wait, the judges emerged from a side room and gathered around a podium, "We'd like to announce the winner of this year's annual junior science competition. Congratulations to Ikaika Keawe for his project on new methods to monitor pollutants in the islands' coastal waters. While we'd like to acknowledge all of the other finalists, special mention goes to the runner up Leilani Overahani for her insightful work with the island's metamorphic rocks."

After the closing ceremonies ended, Leilani stepped down off the stage and met with Naomi and the other Rangers. The Yellow Ranger was the first to give a comforting hug to her cousin, "I'm sorry you didn't win Lili. Those judges don't know what they're talking about."

Leilani laughed gently, "I doubt you understood very much of my project either."

"I understood enough science to save your sorry butt the other day," Naomi laughed in return giving the girl a light nudge, "Believe it or not, I do pay attention sometimes."

Leilani nodded with a smile and shrugged, "It's ok. I'm a little disappointed about not winning, but 2nd place is still pretty amazing too."

"That's right. You have a lot to be proud of kiddo," David chimed in encouragingly, "Maybe you'll wind up winning next year."

The younger girl nodded and hooked her arm around Naomi's, "Well... until then, I was kinda hoping I could put my work aside for the day and just chill out with the coolest Power Ranger on the island."

"She must be mistaken. I thought that was me," Hannah joked before she felt Cam give her a playful poke in the side of the head. "Of course not. You're the most modest one, remember?"

Naomi laughed as the Blue and Orange Rangers started to tease and call each other names before she turned back to her cousin. "Well Lili, the rest of the day is all yours. What would you like to do?"

Leilani thought for a moment before she pulled Naomi along, "Well... could we maybe go shopping at the mall? Maybe you can help me pick out a new blouse?"

"Sure, I think that can be arranged," the Yellow Ranger chirped.

As they continued to walk, Leilani scratched her chin hopefully, "And while we're at it, could I maybe try to get one of those cool coral bracelets like the rest of you guys too?"

"Not on your life."


	29. Kahu: Guardian

**Episode 15: Part 1  
**

Cameron Monroe gave a content smile as he lay in the backyard hammock of the beach house taking an afternoon nap. Despite it being the end of summer, the weather was clear, sunny, and mild. As he swung gently, enjoying the shade and the sound of the ocean surf, he began to hear the sound of twangy, but pleasant music coming from inside the house.

The Blue Ranger curiously got up and headed back indoors though the rear porch and the kitchen until he came to the living room. There he found Naomi laying on the couch reading a book while in the other corner of the room, Desmond sat in a wicker chair strumming a little ukulele to himself.

He played a light bouncy Hawaiian style tune and the Red Ranger finished singing the chorus gently, _"I wonder where / my little hula girl has gone / she's no longer on the beach at Waikiki…"_

As he strummed the last chord, Cam smiled and gave some applause while Desmond proudly took a little bow. Turning to his other housemate, Desmond raised an eyebrow, "Well? What do you think?"

Naomi glanced up from her book and gave a playful grin, "It was great. But I don't suppose you were singing that song with any particular girl in mind, were you?"

Desmond blinked in surprise, "Like who?"

The Yellow Ranger sighed, "Oh, I don't know… maybe our friend Bailey Hampshire? Also a little Hawaiian girl from Waikiki?"

"Don't be stupid," Desmond huffed, "She's just a cool girl, who's also a good friend, and an awesome cook too."

"And what if I told you that I think she might have a little crush on you too?" the Yellow Ranger giggled in amusement.

Desmond gave a shocked look and felt his face turn as red as the color of his floral shirt, "Come on Naomi! Don't joke around like that!"

Cam chuckled and clapped Desmond on the shoulder as he passed by, "Come on man, don't listen to her. It probably wouldn't be a good idea if you went out with Bailey anyway."

"Oh? And why is that?" the Yellow Ranger challenged him while raising an eyebrow.

Cam laughed again, "Because I for one like going to her restaurant and getting markdowns on my meals. If she and Desmond dated and then broke up, well… then we all lose out."

Naomi rolled her eyes gently, "That's not very romantic of you Cameron. I think the idea of playing music for a girl is very sweet. Or are you just saying that because you can't play an instrument?"

"I know how to play an instrument," he answered defensively, "But I'm a little more familiar with the old Irish style folk songs my family taught me and I'm not sure it would sound the same on a ukulele."

Just then, the three friends heard a knock at the door and the Blue Ranger moved to open it. To his surprise he saw two enlisted Navy sailors on the front steps holding what looked to be a small guitar case.

"Lieutenant Monroe?" the first sailor asked.

Cam nodded, "Yes. I'm him."

Both sailors gave a salute, "Sir, we've come to deliver some personal effects of yours that had been tied up during your reassignment. Sorry for the delay."

They handed Cam the instrument case and he smiled, "Thanks! You guys have amazing timing."

The second sailor cleared his throat and handed over an envelope as well, "One other thing, sir. A letter from Captain Ramos."

The Blue Ranger thanked the two sailors and returned their salute before closing the door.

"What was that all about?" Naomi asked as Cam walked into the living room. He put the case down on the table and gestured to Desmond to take a look. The Red Ranger opened the case and held up a small dark wood mandolin. He held the instrument curiously and gave the strings a gentle pluck "Hey… this is pretty cool. This is really yours?"

"It's my grandpa's actually," Cam answered as he opened the letter, "He taught me to play when I was younger and then gave it as a gift when I joined the service. He thought it would be a nice reminder of home while I was away. I…"

His voice trailed away as he read the letter and a dark shadow suddenly crossed over his features.

"Cameron? What's wrong?" Naomi asked in concern while Desmond put down the instrument.

The Blue Ranger lowered the letter and gave a stunned look, "My C.O. forwarded a message from home… my grandpa… he just passed away."

* * *

Waves lapped at the shores of the Phantom Isle as General Kuta sat on a rocky outcropping sharpening the blade of his halberd with a whetstone. It had been quiet of late since their last battle with the Ocean Rangers. Admittedly, Kuta had not seen much of Hine Nui as she had been holed up in her dark cave, still likely sulking after the defeat of her projected shadow.

The monstrous warrior continued to sharpen his weapon, using it to keep him mind calm and focused. The quiet wait was irritating and the general of the Benthic Armies hated not being proactive. If his queen was not going to do something about the Rangers, then he would. Kuta stopped and examined the blade head of the weapon and caught the reflection of a warrior stepping up from behind.

"It's about time you showed up Shellelagh," the general said turning slowly to address his fellow mollusk warrior trudging up the gray sand.

"Apologies General Kuta, the ocean currents from the North Atlantic were less than favorable in getting here," the warrior replied. He was clad in a full suit of thick plate armor shaped like a vertical oyster shell around his torso. Near the top of the shell at the warrior's head were two calcified horn like protrusions adding to his intimidating appearance. "What would you have me do?"

Kuta grinned devilishly, "The humans have a large military presence here and use this island as a base for their warships. I want you to start by hindering their naval operations with the explosive pearls you can produce."

Shellelagh gave a small laugh and closed his shell armor up again, "It would be my pleasure sir. The humans won't know what hit them."

As the oyster warrior turned and headed off into the dark waters, Kuta smiled to himself. If and when his queen would stop sulking, perhaps he would have a nice surprise for her… six defeated Rangers and a conquered island.

* * *

"Yeah… okay… I'm packing my bags right now Mom," Cam said as he stood in his room talking to his parents on the phone, "I'll try to take a flight out of Honolulu as soon as I can. Okay… I'll be careful. Say hi to Dad for me and give Grandma my love. Yeah... I love you too Mom. Bye."

The Blue Ranger hung up and turned back to the half filled suitcase on his bed. Also sitting at the foot of the bed were Alex and Hannah who had come by to visit when they heard the news. Late afternoon sunlight streamed into the bedroom, bathing the three friends in a gentle orange glow.

"How's your family holding up?" Alex asked gently.

"About as well as could be expected," Cam sighed as he folded some clothes and put them away, "We all knew gramps was sick… but no one is ever really ready, you know? Everyone back home is still a little upset right now."

The Pink Ranger nodded sympathetically, "What about you? How are you feeling?"

Cam stopped for a moment and continued working, "I'll be ok… I… I'm just focusing on making my flight home for the funeral services in a few days."

Nearby, Hannah stood looking in a mirror while trying on Cam's officer cap for fun, "I saw you packed your dress whites. Was your Grandpa in the Navy too?"

He gently plucked the cap off her head and folded it down with a nod, "Yeah, he was. In fact, he was kinda the reason I joined the service in the first place."

The two girls exchanged a curious look as he continued, "Grandpa Patrick enlisted for a term right before World War II started. He was about to get out when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was there during the battle and decided to re-enlist when he saw what had happened. From there, he went on to serve in the Pacific theater during the war."

"Wasn't his family upset?" Hannah asked sitting back down on the bed. "I mean, weren't they worried about him volunteering again and getting killed?"

Cam gave a thoughtful nod, "Well, sure. They didn't want him to go risking his life again but Grandpa Pat always had a really strong sense of duty. He was proud to serve. He really loved his country and his family so he felt he should take on the extra responsibility to protect them. I guess after surviving Pearl Harbor, he didn't want to see the same thing happen back home on the mainland."

"I can see how that would inspire you," Alex commented with a smile, "Your Grandpa sounds like a regular Captain America-type to me."

The Blue Ranger laughed gently, "I spent a lot of time with him while growing up. He'd look after me while my parents worked and he'd teach me all kinds of neat things… like how to fish, or catch bugs, or play the mandolin."

He paused and looked out the window, "Gramps would also tell me all kinds of exciting war stories about his adventures across the Pacific, but when he did, he always reminded me about how important it was to be responsible toward your country and the people you care about most. That was something I always admired about my grandpa, and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up."

He wistfully glanced at his blue Ocean Bracer for a moment, "It's kind of ironic now, isn't it? My parents were reluctant for me to join up too. Now here I am… far from home and fighting my own little war in the Pacific."

He was cut off as the Rangers' bracelets flickered with light. Hannah rose from the bed and gave an encouraging smile, "A war that we're also going to win."

Alex smiled and nodded as they headed out of the room to respond to Kanohi's call. Cam took one more glance at his suitcase and gave a firm nod of his own before following the girls downstairs and out of the house.

* * *

Orange sunlight hung over the beaches as the mollusk warrior Shellelagh stood organizing a group of Nightmarcher warriors. The undead minions huddled around and strung together a group of large round objects about the size of beach balls. After another minute, the mollusk opened his shell armor and removed another gray colored sphere before handing it off, "There. That should be enough for the first string of sea mines. We still have some time before the Coast Guard ships pass by on patrol so be careful with those pearls!"

He was suddenly cut off as six morphed Ocean Rangers burst from the nearby waters and rushed up the sandy beach. The monsters turned to face their opponents just as Desmond stepped forward and raised a confident fist, "Okay shell brain, I don't know what you're up to, but I think it's time for a little clam bake!"

The mollusk gave an infuriated growl toward the Red Ranger, "Clam? I'm an oyster you fool! I am Shellelagh, demolition expert of the Benthic Armies!"

"Shell-lelagh? That's a terrible pun! You are not an Irish war club!" Cam called out clenching his fists indignantly, "Ok, I'm kinda offended now!"

"Then come and do something about it boy!" the monster cackled as he kicked a pearl at the Rangers.

The six tumbled away as the oversized pearl exploded, kicking up a cloud of sand.

"Whoah! Those things pack a punch!" Naomi exclaimed rolling into a ready stance.

Desmond charged forward with his spear leveled, "Let's rush him before he gets off another one!"

As the Rangers plowed through the few Nightmarcher zombies blocking the way, Shellelagh laughed and closed his shell up again to meet the attack. Desmond struck first, but his fiery spearhead glanced off the thick shell without a scratch. David followed up next and landed a powerful blow with his club, but again it could do nothing against the monster's thick armor plates.

Undeterred, the Orange Ranger moved next and lashed out her bladed hook whip, snaring one of the monster's horns. Shellelagh laughed and whipped his body sideways to pull the Ranger and hurl her away by her own weapon.

Hannah gave a surprised cry as she was hurled through the air and thrown right into Desmond and David causing the three to fall over each other in a heap. Alex glanced over and saw her friends in trouble before she turned to the Yellow ranger, "You ready Naomi?"

Naomi nodded and called up a powerful gust of wind to blow sand in the face of the monster. Shellelagh closed up his shell again to keep out the blinding winds before the two female Rangers pounced with their own melee weapons. Despite an aggressive flurry of blows from the clubs and knuckles, the monster's shell held firm until he opened it again in a close range surprise attack.

Before the two girls knew what hit them, the mollusk spat an explosive pearl in their faces and blew them backwards with a powerful burst. As Shellelagh laughed again, he heard Cam call out from the flank, "Hey shell brain! Did you forget about me?"

The monster saw the Blue Ranger charge his saber sword, and closed up his shell, preparing to deflect another direct melee attack. As the monster withdrew into his armor, Cam instead grabbed one of the remaining explosive pearls there were still on the beach and rolled it along the sand like a bowling ball. The moment the rolling bomb hit the monster's lightly armored legs, it exploded and threw Shellelagh to the sandy turf.

The top-heavy monster growled and struggled to rise, shaking off the stunning blast. No sooner had the mollusk warrior risen, when the Blue Ranger let loose the charged energy in his blade. As Cam attacked, Shellelagh's shell was lashed with several concussive waves of water energy slashes before the final slash threw the monster back into the ocean, forcing it to retreat.

While the Ocean Rangers had succeeded at driving off the monster for now, they had failed to injure it, or even score a significant blow.

Desmond walked over beside his housemate while watching the monster retreat back into the water, "Whew. Nice fakeout there. Things were starting to look pretty bad for a minute."

"Agreed," Alex said stretching out her arm as she joined them, "That guy was a lot tougher than the other mollusks. We just couldn't break through that thing's defenses."

Nearby, David carefully picked up one of the remaining explosive pearls, "I'd be more worried about what that monster was planning to do. It looks like he had a bunch of these things strung together."

The Rangers all paused a moment as they spotted a Coast Guard cutter in the distance, making its way on patrol. Hannah shifted uncomfortably and looked at the pearl. "You guys don't think that Hine Nui was plotting to plant a bunch of sea mines, do you? Imagine what would have happened if that cutter hit this line of explosives."

"I'd rather not," Cam answered with a very dark tone in his voice, "If that shellfish was targeting surface ships... especially military ones... that's unforgivable."

Desmond nodded and put a calming hand on his friend's shoulder, "We won't let that happen. Now come on. What do you say we go bring this pearl back to Kanohi and get to the bottom of all this?"


	30. Kuleana: Duty

**Episode 15: Part 2  
**

"This news is most troubling Rangers," Kanohi said as he finished examining the explosive pearl that the Ocean Rangers had recovered. All about them, bright torch lights lit up the rocky ruins of Ocean Point Temple, warding away the darkness of the early evening.

The disembodied kahuna spoke again, "It would seem that Hannah may be right... that Hine Nui's forces may be targeting the warships of this island."

"Why would they do that?" Alex asked aloud, "Hine Nui's fight is with us. After all, we're the real threat to her, right?"

David crossed his arms and frowned, "Unless the orders were given by General Kuta. He seems like he has a military minded approach to these things. Maybe he thinks that crippling the other defenses of Oahu will make things easier for the Benthic Armies later on?"

"Whatever the reason, we can't let the servicemen come into danger if we can stop it," Hannah added with a firm tone in her voice. At that particular moment, her thoughts drifted toward her own father and a real fear that he could come to harm.

Naomi sighed, "In the mean time, we should probably come up with a plan to get around that mollusk's shell... or stop it from making more explosives."

"Agreed. Until this new monster can be stopped, all of you must be ready and alert in case there is another attack," Kanohi said.

"I'm not sure if I can," Cam said aloud, "I was just planning to leave the island for a few days to attend my grandfather's funeral."

"You have my sympathy Cameron, but we don't know if the monster will strike again during that time," the old kahuna replied, "You are an Ocean Ranger. Your duty is to this island."

"And what about my duty to my family?" the Blue Ranger countered with a mild edge in his voice, "Desmond and Naomi taught me that Ohana, or family, is a central part of your culture, isn't it?"

He stopped himself and took a calming breath before lowering his head, "I've already volunteered myself freely to fight this war against Hine Nui... on behalf of your people, and everyone on this island. I'm not quitting on you Kanohi. I'm only asking for a little time... to grieve, and to fulfill my own obligations to the people I love too. We may be Rangers, but don't our own feelings count for anything?"

The tiki sat silent for a moment before speaking in a grave voice, "What you ask for carries great risk."

"A risk we're willing to take," Desmond said quickly as he stepped forward to everyone's surprise. "Kanohi... Cam is my friend and if this really important to him, then I'll do my best to hold down the fort until he gets back."

"We are a team," Naomi added thoughtfully as she stepped forward too, "It's our job to support each other and to help shoulder each others' burdens."

The Blue Ranger looked to his two friends in surprise before giving a grateful nod, "Desmond... Naomi... thank you. I... I'm really sorry. This must sound so selfish of me right now."

David stepped forward and put a comforting hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder, "I understand Cam. I'm a long way from home too and if I were you, I'd be pushing to go back to Japan as fast as possible."

The lights of Kanohi's eyes turned their gaze toward the Pink and Orange Rangers, "Alex? Hannah?"

"Losing loved ones is hard," Alex said, "Believe me, I know... but closure is important too. I know it would hurt me if I hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye to my own parents."

Hannah nodded, "I think that means we're in too."

"Very well," Kanohi said in a serious tone, "If that is your decision, then let's pray that Hine Nui will require a break from the fighting as well."

* * *

The next day, dark storm clouds began to gather on the distant horizon to threaten the island of Oahu as Shellelagh made his way up the coastline toward the western edge of Pearl Harbor. The mollusk warrior tramped across the sandy shores of Ewa Beach accompanied by a pack of Nightmarcher soldiers carrying several more strings of explosive pearls.

It wasn't long before the monsters stopped at the outskirts of the inlet leading into the harbor and Shellelagh stopped to survey to area. Just up ahead was the Puuloa Rifle Range, a restricted area set aside for the military's target practice. Just a little further past there lay the primary opening to the harbor.

As the waves kicked up and the winds shifted from the coming storm, the mollusk waved his troops toward the waters, "You lot, swim around the edge of that installation and plant the sea mines at the mouth of the harbor. I'll keep the humans distracted."

The moment he said that, several armed Marines that were guarding the area spotted the monsters. Despite their own fear at the sight of the creatures, the soldiers hurried over and leveled their rifles at Shellelagh.

"Stop right there monster," called the Marine sergeant leading the group, "If you come any closer to this range, we will be forced to shoot!"

"I promise you human, that will be a complete waste of your ammunition," the monster laughed, closing his shell and stepping forward.

The sergeant gave a nod and the squad of Marines opened fire on the mollusk while it slowly approached them. Amid the hail of gunfire and sparks erupting off the shell, Shellelagh continued to advance through the bullets, completely unharmed.

After a long minute, the rifle fire slackened and the Marines all stood in shock, realizing that their weapons were completely ineffective against the monster's armor. The mollusk suddenly opened his shell and pulled out a new pearl, chortling, "Your aim is pretty good humans. Now let me show you how good my aim is."

He tossed the explosive pearl causing the Marines to scramble and dive away as it erupted in a large blast. Seeing that they were completely outmatched, the sergeant turned to his men and waved them back toward the installation, "Fall back Marines! Regroup at the base!"

The Nightmarchers pumped their fists and Shellelagh cackled as they watched the Marines retreat from the beach, leaving the way open for the Benthic forces to advance.

The monsters' victory celebration was short lived as a firebolt suddenly struck the ground in front of them, causing them to halt. Shellelagh turned in annoyance to see five Ocean Rangers emerge from the waters to block their path.

Desmond stepped forward to the forefront of the Rangers' formation, leveling his weapon's ignited spearhead toward his enemy. "All right ugly, you want a real fight? How about a rematch with us?"

The mollusk glared at the Ranger and counted only five among them, "Gladly. Nightmarchers? Get to work!"

As the Nighmarchers laden down with explosives hurried off into the waters, Shellelagh moved to keep the Rangers busy. Naomi caught sight of the retreating minions and turned to the others, "Uh… guys? The Nightmarchers are getting away!"

Desmond growled at the tough spot they were in and nodded, "Right, but first thing's first. We'll take this guy out then deal with the foot soldiers. David? Alex? Are you two ready with the new game plan?"

Alex nodded and rushed forward, calling forth a dazzling nimbus of elemental light from her Ocean Bracer. Immediately, Shellelagh closed his shell to protect himself, allowing David to pound the ground next with his club while channeling Earth energy. The resulting quake shook the beach and threw the top heavy mollusk off balance, causing him to fall over. Desmond was next to follow up and unleashed a stream of fire from his spear like a flamethrower, trying to torch the prone monster.

Despite their efforts to exploit the monster's balance, Shellelagh slowly rose again with a growl and shook off the fires on his shell. "All right Rangers, now I'm angry!"

Seeing their newest battle strategy fail, the Ocean Rangers tensed as they saw the mollusk charge toward them, hoping that they could dig in and come up with another plan before it was too late.

* * *

The dull roar of passing airplane jet engines reverberated through the glass windows of Honolulu International airport as Cameron sat in the passenger lounge waiting to board his flight. The next airplane headed back to the mainland had just arrived and was currently being refueled. It was possible it would be the last plane for a while as a large tropical storm system was quickly headed toward Oahu, threatening to cancel several flights.

As the Blue Ranger sat by himself, he glanced at his ticket and then the airplane in front of him. In a way, it was strange. Here he was sitting in a bustling airport terminal surrounded by other people, yet he felt very isolated and alone. It was a similar feeling while he had argued with Kanohi for his right to go home and deal with a family tragedy. Perhaps in a way it was a little selfish, but he did have a duty to his family too and the other Rangers understood that. He expected they'd argue too, but instead they all offered to help by shouldering the extra burden of dealing with a monster.

It would only be a few days back in Michigan, but he already felt like he would really miss his friends here… his own Ranger family. Maybe he had begun to grow used to them and without the other Rangers… well, Hawaii would probably not be anywhere near as enjoyable a place to stay.

While the conflicted thoughts continued to swirl in his mind, he saw his Ocean Bracer flicker. He quickly rose and walked over to a quiet corner before quietly speaking into his bracelet, "I'm here Kanohi. What's wrong?"

The disembodied voice of the tiki replied softly, "The mollusk warrior has returned and he's threatening the outskirts of Pearl Harbor. The other Rangers have already responded, but they may need your help."

The Blue Ranger remained silent as Kanohi spoke again, "I am sorry Cameron. I understand the dilemma you must be faced with right now... to have two conflicting but equally important obligations. I cannot make the decision for you now, but like the other Rangers, I will trust your judgment."

Cam lowered his bracer and stood in silence. Nearby, a woman's voice came from a nearby speaker, "Attention passengers, Flight HA3108 to LAX is now boarding."

As other passengers began to head for the boarding gate, Cam remained fixed in place. It was like 1941 all over again. Pearl Harbor was under attack... and his friends were in danger too. They were his family here and he couldn't leave them in their time of need, even if they agreed to let him fly home. As he glanced at his plane ticket, he tried to imagine what Grandpa Patrick would want right now.

Of course family was important... but so was responsibility. He was an officer of the United States Navy and a Power Ranger. It was his duty to protect that family, all the people he loved, and his country from anything that would dare threaten them. He couldn't let Pearl Harbor or the Rangers fall to Hine Nui today.

He was startled as a female airline worker touched his arm, "Sir? We're still boarding, but the plane will be leaving very shortly. Do you need any help?"

The Blue Ranger stopped and put his ticket back in his bag, "I... no... no thank you. I have somewhere else that I need to be right now. Excuse me."

The flight attendant gave a confused look as she watched Cameron do an abrupt about face and hurry away toward the exit of the airport terminal.

* * *

Both David and Hannah fell backward onto the sandy beach as Shellelagh continued to swat the Ocean Rangers away. Moments later, Desmond went flying to the turf as the monster bucked him sideways with its horned helm. Before the Rangers could regroup, the mollusk hurled another pearl at them and scattered them in the resulting blast.

As the Ocean Rangers lay stunned on the sands, the rainstorms grew closer and Shellelagh opened his shell with a triumphant smile, "It's too late Ocean Rangers. By now, the Nightmarchers have planted the sea mines near the harbor. It's only a matter of time before the next group of ships set them off and get destroyed… just like you will be now."

Before he could take another action, the mollusk paused as he saw a great swell of ocean water grow in the near distance. As the miniature tidal wave grew close, the mollusk and the Rangers could see the Nightmarchers and the pearl sea mines caught up in the surge of water. Moments later, the wave reached the beach, slamming into Shellelagh while dumping his troops and sea mines back on top of him. A series of violent explosions rocked the shoreline as the explosives went off, killing the Nightmarchers.

From where they sat, the other Rangers stared in surprise as the Blue Ocean Ranger emerged from the tides and swiftly rushed toward them.

"Cam! You came back…" Desmond gasped as the Blue Ranger helped him to his feet.

"I realized I couldn't leave you guys," Cam replied putting a hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder, "I still have a duty to my country, and to you… my other family here."

Desmond couldn't help but smile as the other Rangers regrouped and turned to face the recovered Shellelagh.

"What are we going to do?" David asked, "We can't crack that guy's shell from the outside."

Cam summoned his blade and stepped forward, "So we'll crack it from the inside, but I'll need some help. Desmond, draw that thing's next attack. Hannah, get ready for a time slowing illusion, then attack with me."

Both Rangers nodded and formed up as the oyster knight attacked again. Desmond was the first to meet its charge and block the enemy's advance with a spear thrust. As he did, Hannah called on her illusionary powers to bend the light, making Desmond appear to move slower to the enemy and vulnerable to attack.

Shellelagh opened his shell, ready to spit another explosive pearl at Desmond, but the Blue and Orange Rangers made a leaping counterattack from above. Hannah whipped her hook out and snared the pearl away from the monster as Cam brought his sword down on the mollusk's exposed body. Shellelagh roared in pain as Cam and Desmond rolled away, leaving Hannah to whip the explosive pearl back into the open chest cavity of the monster.

The mollusk howled again as the pearl detonated and blew off large chunks of his shell in the blast. The warrior gasped and staggered drunkenly now that his torso armor was reduced to smoldering ruins. Without wasting another moment, the Blue Ranger charged his blade and slashed downward once more for a killing blow. As the mollusk keeled over backward and exploded, Desmond and Hannah exchanged high fives with Cam while the others rushed over to join the victory celebrations.

As the reunion settled down, a gentle rain began to set in as David glanced toward the Blue Ranger and then to the dark skies, "You missed your flight… and I'm sure this big storm system is going to delay travel for the next couple days."

"I know Dave… but this was more important. When I thought about it, this is what my grandpa would have wanted me to do. I'm sure he'd have done the same thing."

Both Alex and Hannah gave the Blue Ranger a grateful hug at the same time.

"Well… for what it's worth, we're still glad you came back," Hannah said gently.

"On that note, we should probably get out of here," Naomi added as the rains grew heavier, "The storm is really picking up."

Having no objections, the six Rangers broke their huddle and headed back into the ocean waters to safely teleport home.

* * *

Dark gray clouds hung over the late afternoon skies as a steady but gentle rain fell over Honolulu. As Naomi stepped out of the shower and changed into some clean dry clothes, she listened to the steady pitter patter of rain against the rooftop of her beach home. Moments later, she heard the faint sound of a guitar-like instrument floating through the air. The Yellow Ranger curiously stepped out of her room and headed down the hallways until she found the source of the musical notes.

Cam sat calmly beside the open screen of the porch, looking out over the ocean while tuning his mandolin amid the rain. She sat down across from him and gave a curious look, "Hey, I thought I heard you just now. I didn't think you'd be in the mood to play after missing your flight home."

Cam strummed a few chords and continued to tune the instrument, "I changed my mind. If I can't make it home to be near grandpa, then I thought I'd do the next best thing to keep him close. I think he'd like listening to some music right now."

Naomi smiled softly and nodded as a gentle rumble of distant thunder was heard. After a pause, she asked, "Was your grandpa a good musician?"

Cam began to chuckle quietly, "Good enough. He always liked to credit this instrument as the thing that made my grandma fall in love with him the first time he played it for her."

Naomi laughed along, "Oh yeah… we girls can't resist mandolins."

The Blue Ranger finished tuning with a wistful smile, "I remember Gramps saying, Cameron I'm going to teach you to play this thing just in case you run across a nice respectable Irish girl one day. You may not understand now, but you'll thank me later."

Naomi leaned back and gave a playful grin, "Gee, it sounds like even your grandpa was more romantic than you are too."

Cam gently rolled his eyes and snorted in amusement, "Is that a challenge?"

He glanced out at the rainstorm and began to strum the mandolin, "All right. We'll go with something a little more modern."

He began to play a light hearted tune with a folksy Irish flavor to it while singing softly to himself. The lyrics told the story about meeting a dark haired girl in Galway and falling in love with her while taking shelter from a rainstorm.

As Naomi sat and listened, she couldn't help but smile. It was a different, more sentimental side of her friend that didn't come out very often. Despite his disappointment and sadness over missing his grandfather, right now, Cameron was at ease and smiling, invoking his relative's spirit through the light-hearted music.

If Naomi was honest with herself, she also found the song a bit charming and considered taking back what she had said about the Blue Ranger not having a sense of romance. But thinking that way also involved some danger. As appealing as such an idea was, there were a lot of potential challenges and complications that could yet come with it.

At least for now, she was simply content to enjoy the rainstorm, the music, and the pleasant company that came with it.


	31. Holoholona: Beast

**Episode 16: Part 1  
**

Desmond Waihee whistled a cheerful tune as he walked back inside the Silver Marlin restaurant carrying a bunch of heavy unmarked crates toward the main dining room. By now, the seaside restaurant had already cleared out and as Desmond entered the dining area, he spotted his fellow Ocean Rangers sitting around and enjoying having the place to themselves after hours.

Bailey Hampshire, the restaurant's owner and friend to the Rangers, closed early every Wednesday night so that she could take inventory and make improvements to her place of business. While she did her work, she always allowed the Rangers to come relax and hang out after regular hours. In her mind, being friends with a bunch of Power Rangers was good business. They were loyal customers and made sure she had the safest dining establishment in all of Waikiki.

"I'm back Bailey! Where do you want this stuff?" Desmond called as he wove his way around some wicker chairs and replica wooden tikis.

The petite little Hawaiian girl wearing a green tank top and a loose pigtail hairstyle looked up from her accounting books and smiled sweetly before gesturing toward a nearby table. "Thanks again Desmond. I really appreciate the help tonight."

"Aw, don't mention it," the Red Ranger chuckled in his usual cheerful tone, "I am curious though… what's in the boxes?"

Bailey hopped off her stool from behind the bar, which was styled after a grass hut entrance, and walked over to the table. She carried a small crowbar and popped the lid off a box before gesturing around, "I thought I'd order a bunch of new decorations to spruce the place up."

Desmond glanced around at the current eclectic decorum. There were surfboards mounted on the wall, as well as rows of colorful lanterns and Christmas lights shaped like Hawaiian flowers. Here and there were small tikis and vague replicas of wood carved tribal artifacts. The Red Ranger shrugged, "Really? I kinda like it as it is."

Bailey patted his arm and smiled again, "Well, sometimes in business you just have to think ahead… and besides… a little change every once in a while never hurt anyone. Right?

Meanwhile, the other Rangers sat engrossed in their own activities. At a nearby table, Cam and David were sitting playing a back and forth game of chess while Alex brought out some fruit cocktail drinks for the other girls. As she approached the booth where the Yellow and Orange Rangers sat, she heard Hannah talking excitedly about the newest book she was reading from class.

"Naomi, you should totally read the book! In it, Dr. Gabriel Bishop talks all about the sunken city of Atlantis and an ancient race of humans we may be related to!"

Naomi scratched her chin, "You know, I kinda remember hearing something about Mr. Bishop and the Atlantis thing. Wasn't he also the same guy who worked with a team of Power Rangers out in Colorado? They were like, a bunch of angels with wings and halos and stuff… right?"

Alex set the drinks down at the table and gave a laugh, "Well, whoever they are… I wonder if they'd be interested in helping us put away Hine Nui. I'm sure it'd make all our lives a whole lot easier."

Before Alex could sit down, she spotted Bailey wave her over toward the crate of decorations that Desmond was sorting through. The Pink Ranger ambled over curiously and began poking through the knickknacks beside Desmond. "Hey Bailey, this looks like some pretty cool stuff. Where did you find it all?"

The restaurant owner puffed up her chest proudly, "Mostly from local garage sales and flea markets. It's amazing some of the neat things that people throw out… and sell for next to nothing."

"Ah Bailey… always pinching pennies," Alex laughed gently as she pulled out a large wood carved tribal mask painted in dark red, yellow, and black. For a moment, it almost kinda reminded her of Kanohi, except this mask was much more aggressive and fearsome looking. It was angular and had lots of sharper jagged lines carved into it. "Hey, what's this?"

The two Hawaiians glanced over and shrugged. Bailey turned it over for a moment in her hand, "I have no clue. I don't recognize the patterns or designs. Maybe it's just some kind of warrior's mask?"

Alex laughed and put the mask in front of her face, pretending to grunt and growl like an ancient warrior, "Well, it is pretty fierce looking and cool, don't you think? Grrr!"

Desmond crossed his arms in amusement as Alex lowered the mask, "Hey Desmond, maybe this mask will help us scare away General Kuta and his troops the next time they attack."

The Red Ranger began to chuckle and poked her playfully, "Nah. With a face like yours, you won't need a mask to scare Kuta away."

Alex huffed and slapped his arm gently from the teasing as Bailey got back to work sorting through her new decorations. As she did, Desmond reached out and tapped the Pink Ranger on her shoulder before clearing his throat. "Uhh… Alex? Can I ask you a favor? Do you mind if I talk to Bailey alone for just a few minutes?"

Alex raised an eyebrow in amusement before glancing over toward Cam and David, who were still engrossed in their game. She gave a wink and walked off, putting the mask over her face with the intent to try and startle her other friends. As she did, she felt a strange momentary tingling sensation on her face and she wondered if maybe the paint of the mask was just irritating her skin a little.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cameron sat back in his seat with a smug smile and crossed his arms, "It's over Dave. It's taken me the last few weeks, but I'm finally going to beat you in a game of chess."

The Green Ranger glanced up calmly toward his friend before going back to studying the board and adjusting his glasses. After a long deliberate pause, David moved his bishop piece across the board to find a gap in his opponent's defenses, "Checkmate."

Cam's eyes went wide in shock and he sat in stunned silence, realizing that David had beaten him… again. As Cam gave a defeated sigh, David glanced over and caught sight of the Pink Ranger headed their way while putting on a mask. "Hey Alex, what have you got there?"

Alex abruptly raised her head and David jumped back a foot, thinking he saw glowing blood-red eyes behind the fearsome mask. In an instant, they were gone and Cam rose from his seat with a laugh, "Relax Doc. It's just Alex playing a joke. Nice job scaring him by the way."

The Blue Ranger offered a hand for a high-five but Alex simply glared at him, breathing heavily and suppressing a feral growl. He smiled and reached over to put a friendly arm around her shoulder, "Ahh, way to stay in character too, Coach."

In an instant, she grabbed his forearm and clamped down on it tightly with an unnaturally strong vice grip. The Blue Ranger winced in slight pain and turned his head in surprise, "Uh... Alex?"

Across the room, Desmond had pulled Bailey aside and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Hey Bailey… we've been friends for a while now, right?"

She blinked and tilted her head quizzically, "Yeah…"

"Well, I was just thinking that tonight was going to be as good a time as any to ask you something… something important."

Bailey felt her heart skip a beat and her face get a little flushed. Was this conversation going where she thought it might be going? "Oh? Well, you know you can ask me anything Desmond."

The Red Ranger nodded nervously, "Right. Ok… I'm not going to beat around the bush here so I'll just lay all the cards out on the table. Bailey… will you…"

He was cut off as he and Bailey heard a loud crash come from across the room. To his shook, he turned and saw Cam lying stunned on the ground amid some overturned tables and chairs. Nearby, Alex had hopped up on another table taking a crouching stance, as if she were some predatory animal getting ready to pounce upon her prey. The Pink Ranger was still wearing the odd mask but was now behaving very strangely. A low raspy growl rumbled from her throat as a sinister aura radiated from her.

The other Rangers sprung from their chairs in shock as Bailey called out to her friend, "Alex! What the hell are you doing? Get off the table! Have you lost your mind?"

The masked Pink Ranger whipped her head around revealing the glowing red eyes from behind the mask, causing Bailey and Desmond to halt in fear. To everyone's horror, Alex began to laugh, but in a distorted sounding way, as if her voice was a little deeper and another one had melded with hers. "Why, yes she has. Your little friend's mind was so weak... she's going to be taking orders from me for a while."

"Who are you?" Desmond called, stepping in front of Bailey to protect her, "What have you done with Alex?"

The possessed Pink Ranger tilted her head slightly and gave a mocking laugh, "Has it been so long that you humans don't remember me? The mighty Akua-pehu-ale?"

She paused and examined her hands, "This was not quite the vessel I was hoping to return in, but for now, it will have to do. Now get out of my way mortal, or I'll be forced to make an example out of you too!"

"Not a chance!" Desmond shouted back reaching for his Ocean Bracer. Before he could react, Alex sprung from the table with supernatural speed, tackling him to the floor. As the Red Ranger hit the ground and had the wind knocked out of his lungs, Alex rolled off of him and used her momentum to make her escape out the door.

Bailey was the first to his side and help him up, "Desmond! Oh my gosh! Are you ok?"

The Red Ranger grunted and nodded slowly before rising to his feet, "I know Alex is a tough girl, but damn... it felt like I just got hit by a truck right now."

Nearby, Cam sat upright in a daze while Hannah and David helped steady him, "Ow... What just happened?"

"We're trying to figure that out," the Orange Ranger said in concern, "Just hold still and let Doc make sure you're ok first."

He nodded and let David begin looking for signs of cuts or broken bones, "Something bad must've gotten into her. One minute we're joking around, and the next, she judo tosses me into a table."

"Whatever it is, it must have something to do with that freaky mask," Naomi said thoughtfully as she joined the others, "You guys don't think Hine Nui has anything to do with this... do you?"

Desmond chewed his lip pensively, "Hard to say. It doesn't really seem like her style though. Still... just looking at those red eyes, I can tell there's a lot of bad juju in that mask."

The Orange Ranger brushed a few bits of broken glass from Cam's shoulder before looking to Naomi, "That thing said its name was Akua-pehu-ale. Does that sound familiar to you?"

"I'm afraid not," the Yellow Ranger replied shaking her head apologetically before turning to Desmond.

"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell either," he said, "But if it's some kind of supernatural entity, then maybe Kanohi will know of him?"

"What about Alex?" Bailey protested, "We have to help her! We can't just let her get away and run loose around Honolulu. There's no telling what crazy things she might do."

The Red Ranger stopped and nodded, "You're right. David and Naomi, I need you two to go talk to Kanohi and see what we can learn about this evil spirit. I'm going to go try to trace where that mask came from and find Alex."

"Not without me you're not," Bailey countered stubbornly as she put her hands on her hips.

"It's going to be dangerous and you're not a Ranger," he retorted.

Bailey raised an eyebrow, "Giving orders and you're still not thinking ahead Desmond. I know where I bought that mask and Alex is my friend so I'll have a pretty good idea of the places she may go while on the loose."

The Red Ranger frowned and sighed. She was right in that sense and it would be impossible to argue. "All right... fine. But stay close to me."

Just then, Hannah interrupted, "Uh, guys? Question... if Bailey is going to be out searching the city, who's going to hold down the fort here in the restaurant?"

Bailey thought for a moment before shrugging, "Congratulations. You and Cam have just been promoted to temporary managers until I get back."

The Blue and Orange Rangers simply exchanged a bemused expression while Desmond grabbed Bailey's arm and hurried out the door, "Come on! There's no time to waste. What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Later that same evening, the ancient sea witch Hine Nui stood over a dark basin of water, chanting words in an evil guttural sounding language used by dark sorcerers of old. She moved deliberately as she began to prepare for the next steps in her summoning spell. As she dropped a few more dried plants and rotten ingredients in the cauldron, it began to glow with a faint green light.

Before Hine Nui could continue her incantation, a little bat came flying into her dark lair squeaking in excitement. The witch glanced up and stood still as the bat flew up to her and perched on her shoulder. "Yes little one. What news do you bring for me?"

The little creature leaned into her hear and began to squeak some more before Hine Nui gave a nod of understanding and stroked its wings lovingly, "Yes... I understand child. Thank you. That is most useful to me."

The bat flew off and the witch snapped her fingers sharply, summoning her general. After a few moments, a familiar mollusk warrior materialized from the darkness and lowered his head toward her, "You summoned me, my Queen?"

"Yes," the sea witch said stroking her chin thoughtfully, "My spies report interesting news on the island. It would seem that Akua-pehu-ale has returned to wreak havoc again."

Kuta wrinkled his features, "That bloodthirsty maniac? I thought he had been sealed away for good. What do you want with him?"

Hine Nui ran her hand along the edge of her cauldron, "I seek to form a temporary alliance with him. If he will be a threat to Honolulu and an enemy to the Ocean Rangers, then he is an ally of mine... at least for now."

"My Queen?"

The witch began casting her magic over the cauldron, "I need you to find Akua-pehu-ale for me and bring him over to our side. For now, I will be too preoccupied with this spell that I am casting. I will require more time and if the Rangers can be worn down or defeated in the mean time, then all the better."

Kuta gave an uneasy look before nodding his head and heading out of the dark lair, "Yes my Queen. If that is what you wish."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **To the Guest reviewer, I have been playing with the idea of a team power-up (like the Master modes from Jungle Fury) but it probably wouldn't be until later on in the series. I've already given our heroes a bunch of neat toys and powers to play with for now. As for the Vanguard crossover, it's coming. Hopefully you caught the easter eggs in this chapter, but I'll need one or two more episodes to set things up properly plot-wise. Thanks again for the question!**


	32. Ho'opakele: Rescue

**Episode 16: Part 2  
**

As late evening fell over the city of Honolulu, Desmond and Bailey pulled up to the curb of a small quaint antique shop in the quiet Aiea neighborhood. After getting out of Bailey's car, the two friends saw an older gray haired Japanese man in the store window closing up for the night. A little bell from the doorway jingled as they hurried inside the cluttered shop but the tall thin storekeeper didn't even bother turning around, "Sorry folks. We're closed."

Bailey ignored him and marched right up to the counter, "Not until I get some answers Mr. Arakawa!"

The older well dressed gentleman turned around and gave a surprised look, "Wait… I remember you! You're Miss Hampshire, the girl I sold that old tribal mask to. I'm guessing you want your money back or something?"

"I want my friend back," the feisty girl retorted sharply, "What have you done to her?"

Mr. Arakawa blinked in confusion before Desmond put his hands on Bailey's shoulders to calm her, "Mr. Arakawa, there was something very wrong about that mask you sold Bailey… something very evil. I know this sounds a little crazy, but I think it's placed some kind of magic curse on one of our friends."

Arakawa shook his head to himself in surprise, "It can't be. I'm so sorry! This must be some cruel joke! I mean… I had heard things… but I never thought it was serious, and I certainly didn't mean for any harm to come to someone."

"What are you babbling about?" Desmond demanded, "You knew there was something fishy about that mask?"

The older man frowned to himself, "I found the mask while hunting for antiques on the island of Kauai. I was perusing one of the flea markets there with an old friend and associate of mine, a Maori lady from New Zealand by the name of Moana. When I found the mask, Moana told me she got a very bad feeling about it and urged me not to buy the mask. She was always a bit of a superstitious person."

"So you ignored this Moana lady and got the mask anyway… until I bought it from you?" Bailey concluded.

Arakawa nodded apologetically, "Yes… I really didn't believe there was any curse or evil magic on the mask when I sold it to you, honest!"

Desmond nodded and turned to head for the door, "I believe you sir. If that's in fact true, then we might know someone who has more experience about this kind of thing. Come on Bailey, we should probably get back to our search."

They thanked Mr. Arakawa and left the little shop, heading back toward the car. Before getting in, Bailey turned to the Red Ranger, "You think Naomi and David are having any better luck?"

Desmond grimaced and reached for his Ocean Bracer, "There's only one way to find out."

* * *

Meanwhile back at the stony ruins of Ocean Point Temple, David and Naomi stood before the great tiki Kanohi as he pondered over their latest news. Despite the bright flickering of the torchlight, David stifled a yawn. It had been a long workday at the hospital and now he had to worry about the safety of a missing friend too. Finally, Kanohi gave a thoughtful sigh, "The name of Akua-pehu-ale sounds familiar. I believe the events surrounding him happened a bit before my own time though."

"Then you know of him?" David asked hopefully.

"Yes. Akua-pehu-ale was said to be a _kapua_ from the island of Kauai."

David raised an eyebrow until Naomi translated, " _Kapua_ were supernatural figures in our mythology… kinda like demigods, or lesser deities."

The kahuna cleared his throat, "Yes. Akua-pehu-ale was said to have been a vicious one, prone to violence and bloodlust. According to the people of Kauai, he was greatly feared and hated among his own tribe, especially for the grisly practices he would participate in."

"What sort of practices?" Naomi asked hesitantly.

"It was said Akua-pehu-ale had a taste for human flesh and would partake in cannibalistic rituals."

David blanched and took a deep breath, "Then there's no time to lose! We've got to help Alex before that spirit causes her to do something really grisly! Kanohi, how are we supposed to beat this demon thing?

The tiki pondered for a moment before speaking again, "It was said that the demon was struck down by a magic spear called _Koa-wi Koa-wa_. After his defeat, some say his spirit was cast into the underworld while others claim it was imprisoned in some object… such as a mask in this case."

Naomi frowned in thought, "I wonder... is it possible that Desmond may gain an advantage over that thing? I mean, it may not be quite the same, but he's got a magic spear too."

"It may be possible," Kanohi confirmed, "But he would have to find a way to do so and not cause serious harm to Alex either."

David gave a tired nod, "All right. Now we have some material to work with. I think it's time we regroup and find that monster."

Naomi glanced at her watch, "It's getting really late though. Everyone will be tired and we'll need our rest. If Desmond and Bailey can't track her down, we'll start again first thing tomorrow. As for tonight, maybe everyone should come and crash at my place."

"Good luck Rangers," the tiki added gravely, "I will be here if you need me."

* * *

After a fruitless night of searching for Alex, the other Ocean Rangers gathered and slept over at the beach house to resume their search the following morning. Upon waking up, they were shocked to find scattered reports on the local news of violent mugging-style attacks. Because it had been so dark, most of the victims claimed they had been assaulted by a red eyed monster who moved too quickly for them. Others claimed that when they tried to get a good look, they were blinded by a burst of bright light.

After turning off the television, Desmond gave a grim nod to the others in the living room, "Ok. Let's just be glad Alex hasn't killed anyone or tried chowing down on them yet. That might mean Alex is still fighting against being fully mind controlled. In the mean time, we'll split off into the same teams to search. If we find Alex, we call for backup. Got it?"

Nearby, both Cam and Hannah were dressed in the server uniforms of Bailey's restaurant, ready to cover at her workplace for the day. Hannah tied up her blond hair and put on an orange cap "If you guys need more help, just give us a call too, ok?"

"Let's get cracking then," Bailey replied leading the others out the doorway.

As they headed to the car, Desmond turned to Bailey, "Hey Bailey. You still have a spare set of keys that Alex gave you to her apartment, right? I need to pick something up there."

She nodded slowly, "Yeah… you have some bright idea to save Alex?"

"More of a Plan B," the Red Ranger said, "Let's just say that I took your suggestion and I'm thinking ahead for once."

Bailey gave an impressed smile, "Well ok then. Lead on."

* * *

Bright sunlight lit up the busy streets of Waikiki as the possessed Pink Ranger staggered from an alley into the commercial district. The demonic spirit inside the mask had been pushing to head out into the busier areas to run amok but Alex's own consciousness resisted, having fought a mental tug of war all night. While the monster "Akua" had succeeded in attacking several civilians, it had been Alex who forced her own body to run away and refrain from any major violent acts. Still, she was getting tired and hungry, and Akua knew that.

As Alex headed down the streets, other pedestrians who passed by gave her strange looks wondering why she was wearing a tribal mask on her face. Eventually, she came to a food cart where the vendor, a portly balding man, was selling pulled pork sandwiches. Upon seeing the strange girl, he raised an eyebrow, "Can I help you Miss?"

Immediately, Akua took hold and Alex grabbed the vendor by the collar with a snarl. Her red eyes blazed as she threw him aside and grabbed a handful of the cooked meat. Despite the awkwardness of the mask, she began to eat like a savage while splattering dark red barbecue sauce around the mouth, almost giving the illusion that it was blood instead.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" the vendor cried in outrage as a few nearby security guards from some of the local shops came over to help. Instead, Alex lifted the cart with one hand and hurled it toward her startled opponents who scattered and fled at the sight of the mask's glowing eyes.

Other civilians and tourists who had been shopping, gasped and began to run away as the demon gave another loud laugh and easily punted a large garbage bin like a football across the street. As the chaos continued to escalate, Alex turned around and saw two familiar figures approach from a side-street: it was Desmond and Bailey.

"All right demon!" Desmond called raising his Ocean Bracer, "This is your last chance. Let Alex go right now!"

Alex's distorted voice laughed, "No. I actually rather like this vessel. She's a lot tougher than she looks… and she can do this!"

Alex raised her Ocean Bracer and morphed into a corrupted Ocean Ranger form with an off-Pink color. Instead of a Ranger helmet, she still wore the evil mask. With that, Alex charged forward to attack as Desmond quickly morphed in response too. "Uh oh, I wasn't expecting that to happen."

Bailey gasped and jumped away as Alex leapt forward and pounced on Desmond again. The two morphed Rangers fell over each other on the street grappling as Alex laughed in Akua's voice, "Face it Red Ranger, there's nothing you can do. As long as I'm here, you can't bring yourself to hurt your friend."

"Come on Alex! Help me out here," Desmond grunted, reaching out to summon his spear. As he gripped his weapon and ignited the spear head, Akua let go and fell back in momentary fear.

"No! Not again!"

Desmond rose and leveled his weapon at the corrupted Ranger, "What's wrong Akua? Are you scared of the spear? Or the fire?"

The corrupted Ranger snarled again as Desmond turned to Bailey, "Bailey! Get back to the car! Time for Plan B!"

Bailey turned and began to run toward her car when Alex lunged and violently grabbed her friend. As she began to twist the girl's arm, Alex made ready to bite into Bailey's shoulder when Desmond shoulder checked the Pink Ranger aside and knocked her back with the butt of his weapon.

Bailey broke free again and hurried to her car, opening the door and scooping something up in her arms. Turning back to the battle in the streets, she saw Desmond struggling to grip his weapon against Alex. As Desmond turned them both to face Bailey, she approached while holding out Alex's pet, an adorable brown kitten named Miko.

"Come back to us Alex! You wouldn't hurt your friends… or your own pets, right?"

At the sight of the little animal, Alex froze and let go as her kinder and gentler nature reasserted itself against the demon. That momentary opening gave Desmond a chance to strike with a spear slash, knocking the mask off of Alex's face. The Pink Ranger fell over and demorphed as Desmond turned to face the dark shadowy entity rising from the mask.

"Your violent rampage is over Akua," the Red Ranger said while charging his weapon, "You picked the wrong heroes to mess with."

The demon shrieked again and surged toward the Ranger but Desmond drove his spear into the ground causing a line of flames to erupt, engulfing the monster. Akua screamed and flailed as the wooden mask began to burn before Desmond raised his weapon and slashed downward, splitting the mask in half.

He stood watching as the mask burned away to ashes before turning back to his friends. Bailey was already helping a groggy Alex sit up before the Pink ranger threw her arms around her friend. "Oh Bailey! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to attack you, or trash your restaurant."

She then took her kitten in her hands and nuzzled it too, "And Miko! My poor little baby!"

Desmond gave a sigh of relief as he tiredly knelt down on the street and put an arm around Alex's shoulder. "You ok?"

She put her hand on his and gave a grateful squeeze, "Thank you Desmond!I'm so sorry I went crazy on you too. All of you."

"Not your fault," he said gently, "If you weren't in there fighting the monster too, who knows what horrible things it would have done?"

Bailey shivered at the thought and stroked the kitten's ears, "Well, either way, bringing Miko along was some good foresight Desmond."

While the three friends sat recovering from their ordeal, they failed to see another form lurking in the shadows and watching the whole spectacle. Seeing that he had arrived to the battle too late, General Kuta turned and slipped back into the darkness to bring his queen the news.

"We should probably contact the others and let them know everything is ok," Desmond said as he helped Alex to her feet.

The Pink Ranger gave a sheepish nod, "Oh yeah… I should probably apologize to Cam too. I did throw him through a table."

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll forgive you," Desmond chuckled while sharing a smile with Bailey, "Speaking of which, I wonder how he and Hannah are doing right now?"

* * *

By the time they had gotten the call that Alex was safe, both Cam and Hannah tiredly plopped down beside each other on a bench outside the restaurant. The lunch rush crowd had tapered off and the two were already frazzled and disheveled from trying to keep pace. Hannah removed her cap and wiped some sweat away as a few stray order stubs fell from her hat. "I have no idea how Bailey does it. She makes running the place look so easy."

"Tell me about it," Cam sighed in agreement wiping some grill smudges from his face, "Then again, no one filed any lawsuits, the place didn't burn down, and Bailey will be back by this evening."

"Good enough for me," the Orange Ranger nodded shaking hands with her friend, "This still counts as a win in my book."

Their little celebration was cut short as a new crowd of people from the beach walked in to patronize the restaurant. Hannah groaned and put her hat back on with a sigh, "But until then... duty calls."

* * *

Later that evening, the Ocean Rangers gathered back in the Silver Marlin as the dinner crowd began to thin out. At a booth, Alex chatted with Naomi over some glasses of juice while Desmond and Hannah watched Cam and David play a game of Gin Rummy. Both the Blue and Green Rangers wore stoic expressions until Dave drew a card and laid his hand out on the table with a smile, "Gin."

Hannah began to giggle and reshuffle the playing cards while Cam sputtered in exasperation. David gave an apologetic shrug before the Blue Ranger finally tossed his cards on the table with mild disgust. "Un-freaking-believable. I just… I can't… I give up!"

As Cam walked off to go order some fruit juice at the bar, Hannah turned to the Red Ranger, "Hey Desmond, you want me to deal you in? Since Cam is on a losing streak, maybe we can play Hearts next and take all his money."

Desmond chuckled and rose from his seat, "Nah. Maybe later. I've got something else I need to take care of first."

The Orange Ranger shrugged and continued shuffling while Desmond ambled over toward the doors of the kitchen where Bailey was issuing instructions to a few waitresses and busboys. As they cleared out, she turned to face the Red Ranger with a bright smile, "Oh, hey Desmond! I thought you'd be catching up with your friends right now."

The Red Ranger smiled and gestured to an empty booth, "I was, but I was hoping I could talk to you for just a minute. We have a little unfinished business."

Bailey gulped as they both sat down across from each other. Desmond fixed her with a focused expression and cleared his throat, "There was something I wanted to ask you the other day. It's something that I can only ask you for because I'm pretty sure no other girl could do it for me, I… what are you doing?"

Bailey sat, quickly preening her hair and wiping cooking stains from her shirt, "I… uh… never mind. Go on."

The Red Ranger gave a sheepish look, "Well… I feel a little embarrassed asking you this… especially after all we've been through."

Bailey grabbed both his hands with an almost swooning look, "No! Please ask! I want you to!"

Desmond nodded in relief, "Oh… ok. In that case, Bailey, would you be willing to… cook up some broiled calamari and your specialty noodles? You know… just the way I like them?"

"Yes! Of course Desmond," Bailey gushed, "I'd be happy to be your… wait… what?"

The Red Ranger blinked, "Umm… broiled calamari. I know you rarely cook that dish and I felt really bad about asking for it because it's a lot of work. But you know how to make it just the way I like it."

Bailey continued to stare at him incredulously causing Desmond to tilt his head, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Bailey slowly rose from her seat and gave a sigh, "Excuse me for a moment."

Desmond watched as she walked over to a counter and grabbed a handful of thick cloth napkins. She buried her face in them and gave a muffled scream of frustration before slowly walking back over. To his surprise, she calmly sat back down right next to him in the booth.

"Desmond? I have some unfinished business with you too. I never got a chance to properly thank you for protecting me earlier today."

"Oh, well... it was nothing. I..." Desmond was suddenly cut off as she grabbed his cheeks and planted a big kiss on his lips. The Red Ranger blinked and his face melted into a stupefied grin.

Bailey nodded and patted the Red Ranger on the cheek with a sweet smile, before rising to her feet, "Now... you just think about that for a while and I'll go cook up some calamari. Sound good?"

Based on the way Desmond was simply sitting there with a dreamy expression, Bailey figured he wouldn't be leaving that booth anytime soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the Phantom Isle, Hine Nui finished her chanting as a billowing green cloud of energy and smoke rose from the decorative cauldron she had been stirring. The sea witch gave a satisfied smile as the smoke began to calm down and simmer in the cauldron while General Kuta made his way back into her dark lair.

As he neared, the mollusk commander of the Benthic Armies lowered his head in embarrassment, "My Queen. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Akua-pehu-ale was destroyed in battle with the Ocean Rangers before I could get to him."

Hine Nui gave a dismissive glance toward her field commander, "No matter General. That demon was never my servant to begin with. If anything good came of this, it was that I was able to finish with my ritual."

Kuta curiously fixed his large eyes on the sea witch, "My Queen? What sort of ritual?"

"A summoning one," Hine Nui answered while gesturing to the cauldron with a malicious smile, "I've called upon one more trusted ally from the olden days to aid us."

Kuta glanced over to the simmering pot and froze as a slimy hand emerged from the glowing smoke and gripped the edge of the cauldron. Kuta looked on in surprise as an unsettling feminine figure emerged. Her skin had a greenish hue and was covered in dead rotting vegetation, as if she had just risen from a swamp. Her discolored hair was long and scraggly, but most terrifying of all, she had no face at all save for a pair of discolored lips which curled into a cruel smirk.

Hine Nui gestured to her friend and cackled in glee, "General, I'd like you to meet Mujina, the Green Lady."

 **A/N:**  
 **That's right, we're rounding out the villains with a female general too. _Fantasticrhapsody_ , this is for you and thanks for the good suggestion! Bonus points also go to anyone who spotted the Dino Charge reference too! ;)**


	33. Punipuni: False Statement

**Episode 17: Part 1  
**

Hannah Johnson hummed along to some Fred Astair music that played from her laptop while she shuffled about her small single bedroom apartment. As she wove around her modest little couch and passed a sunny windowsill, she smiled at the orange jack-o-lantern decorations that she began to hang up. It was now late October and unlike her original home in the Midwest, Hawaii did not show nearly as much change in the nature of the seasons. Here it was still bright, sunny, and near eighty degrees outside, but it still didn't stop the teen from trying to do something festive anyway.

Halloween was coming up and despite the lack of brisk air, hayrides, and falling leaves from the trees, Hannah decided to hang up some decorations to spruce the place up. Aside from some framed photos taken during her dives and some assorted artwork of Air Force fighter jets on the wall, the cutout pumpkins would give the place some added character. Besides, she liked the color anyway.

Just then, she heard a knock at the door and slapped her forehead as she remembered her plans for the day. She was going to go shopping for a Halloween costume with the other Rangers. Later in the week, Naomi was going to be hosting a big holiday party at her house. She thought it would be a fun change of pace, especially considering what an unusual year it had been for everyone, one full of new friends and adventures. She rushed to the door and opened it to find David, Cam, and Alex standing outside in the hallway.

"Sorry everyone. I'm running a little behind today. Come on in," Hannah apologized while ushering them inside, "Just give me a minute or two to grab my shoes and my purse."

As the Orange Ranger went rummaging in her room for her things, the others looked around and heard the old time swing music playing. Cam gave an impish grin and held a hand out to Alex, "Fred Astair huh? I suddenly feel like dancing. Would you care to join me Miss Coach?"

As Hannah walked out of her bedroom, she rolled her eyes as she saw Cam and Alex teasing her taste in music. In her living room, the two were pretending to do a bad imitation of a swing dance number by Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers, on purpose.

"Ok. Ha ha. Very funny you two," Hannah sighed turning off the music while Cam gave Alex one last twirl, "Are you guys done teasing me already?"

The Blue and Pink Rangers shared another laugh and headed out the door as David gave a kindhearted shrug, "Don't mind them Hannah. It's good that you have an appreciation for some of the classics. For such a young kid, you're just an old soul too."

The doctor chuckled in amusement and headed out the door as Hannah chased after the eldest Ranger with another groan, "Oh come on Dave! Not you too!"

* * *

The ancient sea witch Hine Nui sat in her dark lair, basking in the perpetually dreary gloom of the Phantom Isle. She sat calmly at a stone seat, lost in an almost meditative trance while General Kuta sat in a nearby corner of the cave sharpening his polearm. After a few long minutes, he glanced up and saw the lithe slimy form of the Green Lady Mujina approach from the cave entrance.

Hine Nui's newest ally walked calmly before the sea witch and gave a small respectful bow, "My Queen. I've returned from my outing."

"Doing what exactly?" Kuta snorted in mild contempt, "Gone swimming I suppose?"

Mujina gave a calm smile as her lips curled in amusement, "Actually General, I've been doing what you refer to as reconnaissance. I've been trying to learn more about our human enemies in order to find an easier way to strike at them."

Hine Nui opened her eyes slowly, "And you believe you've found a way?"

The faceless swamp hag laughed, "Many of these humans have an annual celebration they call Halloween. They disguise themselves as all sorts of things and conceal their identities. I plan to use it as an opportunity to get close and sow chaos among the ranks of these Ocean Rangers."

"You plan to approach them as you are?' Kuta asked curiously before Hine Nui shook her head.

"No General. Mujina is a shapeshifter. I doubt she will have many problems infiltrating the island of Oahu during the humans' revelry."

"It seems like a waste of time to me," Kuta muttered getting back to his weapon.

Mujina sighed and turned to head out of the cave, "Never doubt the value of subtlety and surprise General. We both have the same goal... just different ways of achieving it."

* * *

Later that day, the six Ocean Rangers walked around downtown Honolulu's shopping district browsing various Halloween stores that had opened up for the season. While they stopped at a corner costume shop and dug around through discounted masks and accessories, Desmond put on a rainbow colored clown wig and a red rubber nose before turning to the Yellow Ranger. "Hey Naomi, how do I look? Pretty foolish huh?"

Naomi gave a gentle chuckle and poked the Red Ranger in the nose, "More foolish than normal? I can't really tell."

As Desmond rolled his eyes from the teasing, Naomi thoughtfully rummaged through some garments and turned to the Pink Ranger, "Hey Alex, how would you feel about maybe doing sexy Halloween costumes? I was thinking either Little Red Riding Hood or maybe a witch."

As the two girls walked off discussing some other risque ideas, Cam and David exchanged a slow sidelong glance to each other as if silently confirming what the other was thinking. Over at a nearby table, Hannah sighed in frustration as she tossed aside several costumes. David raised a curious eyebrow and strolled over to see what was going on. "Hey Hannah, is everything ok?"

The Orange Ranger turned to her friend and sighed again, "Oh geez Dave... I don't know... you promise not to laugh?"

He remained quiet and nodded slowly before the younger girl shrugged, "I was just realizing how frustrating it is to find an interesting costume here... I want something that's good quality and has class... you know, one that doesn't belong at some trashy frat party, or one that doesn't scream cheap skank."

The Green Ranger smiled at the youngest Ranger's maturity, "I think I understand. You're saying that you'd be uncomfortable trying to act like something you're not, am I right?"

"Something like that... yeah," she nodded sheepishly as she sorted through some hats.

"Well ok, did you have any alternative ideas in mind?" David asked, trying to sound positive.

Hannah scratched her chin, "Well... this may be kinda pushing the limits, but wouldn't it be funny if the six of us tried cosplaying as the real Ocean Rangers?"

David crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes gently, "Funny yes... but I'm not quite sure Kanohi would be very happy with us abusing our powers like that either."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Hannah nodded as she picked up a white sailor's cap and put it on her head, "Hey, how about this? You think I'd be able to annoy Cam with this by pretending to be a sloppy sailor?"

"He's an officer, so I think he'd make you swab the deck for real... or probably just keelhaul you," David smiled giving her a little playful push.

Hannah tossed the hat aside and began to head out of the store, "Well, I'm going to go ahead and check out another costume store just a few blocks away. I think it's across the shopping plaza's park. You wanna come with?"

"The rest of us will catch up," David said sheepishly, "Uh... Naomi and Alex will be trying some costumes on. They might, um... need some help deciding."

The Orange Ranger smiled and rolled her eyes good naturedly before leaving the store and heading across a wide lush park area in the shopping district. As she began crossing a grassy parkway filled with trees and shrubs, she heard the sounds of terrified civilians coming from nearby. Without hesitating, the Orange Ranger hurried further into the park to investigate when she came across a small crowd of innocent people running toward her.

Hannah froze as she spotted the group of civilians. They were fleeing an oncoming pack of Nightmarcher zombies and a strange female monster covered in green swampy algae. As they neared, the Orange Ranger recoiled in fear, realizing that the monster was missing any semblance of a human face, save for a crooked pair of lips. Taking a breath, she tried to swallow her own fear and called out a challenge to the creatures.

"Stop right there! Who are you?"

The sinister green lady curiously turned her head and gestured for her undead escorts to remain still, "Such reckless courage and nerve from such a young girl. I'm almost impressed."

She strode forward giving a dramatic gesture, "I am Mujina, servant to this island's rightful mistress, Hine Nui Te Po. Bow before her or get out of my way child."

"I have a better idea," Hanna called as she raised her Ocean Bracer, "Point Break!"

In a flash, she morphed into the Orange Ocean Ranger, but Mujina only gave a calm smile and waved her troops forward, "Destroy her."

The pack of Nightmarchers charged forward and the Orange Ranger quickly drew her hooked weapon to fend them off. Using her speed and agility, she ducked and somersaulted around their blows while striking back with her own slashes. Despite that, the lone Ranger found herself greatly outnumbered and she struggled to keep the zombies back at a safe distance.

As she whipped aside a trio of Nightmarchers with her weapon, she turned abruptly to see that Mujina had snuck up on her from behind. The swamp hag cackled in glee as she swung a heavy wooden staff around and struck Hannah in the side of the head with a powerful blow.

The Orange Ranger reeled sideways and collapsed to the ground, demorphing as she hit the grass. Mujina smirked proudly and loomed over her prey before she heard the sounds of a few other Nightmarchers fighting nearby. She turned and saw the other unmorphed Ocean Rangers arrive at the edge of the park and meet the undead warriors in hand to hand combat.

Glancing back down to the limp form of Hannah, Mujina smiled again, "I think I'll have a little fun first."

In an instant, the shapeshifter transformed and took on the appearance of Hannah before heading back across the park where the other Rangers had now morphed. As they fought, David countered a Nightmarcher's attack and kicked it away, "There's a lot of these guys out here… but no leader?"

"Strange… just keep your eyes peeled," Desmond called back, while flinging an opponent to the ground.

For a moment, the Nightmarchers hesitated before Mujina in the form of Hannah, casually strode up to observe the fight.

Cam turned in surprise as he batted aside an enemy, "Hannah! There you are! Hurry up and morph!"

The fake Hannah gave a bored sniff and glanced at her nails, "Nah… it seems like you guys have everything under control here."

Alex twisted the arm of another minion and dropped it to the ground with a shocked frown, "What? Hannah? Is this some kind of joke?"

Mujina sniffed, "Seriously… it's just a bunch of Nightmarchers. You're not telling me you guys are actually worried about them, are you?"

"Quit playing around Hannah! We could use some help here," Desmond called.

Mujina rolled her eyes and began walking away with a wave, "I'd love to, but I've got better things to do."

As the Rangers turned back to the foot soldiers and worked on driving off the undead minions, Mujina took cover behind a tall clump of ferns while the real Hannah slowly regained her senses. The Orange Ranger groaned and slowly rose to her feet, shaking off the blow to her head while saying a thankful prayer that she was still alive.

After picking herself up off the lawn, she walked slowly across the park and spotted the rest of her Ranger friends drive away the last of Hine Nui's foot soldiers from the area. As the Orange Ranger approached, the others powered down and turned to face her with angry expressions.

"Oh, so you finally decided to come back after all. You've got a lot of nerve," Alex huffed venomously.

"Huh?" Hannah frowned in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Naomi frowned and gave an equally irritated glare, "Come on Hannah. Don't play dumb. You gave us a ton of attitude just now then left us hanging."

"No! That's not true. I was just…"

"Abandoning your post," Cam interrupted sternly, "Imagine if you had just walked away from a real monster battle. Someone could get killed because you decided to act like a selfish brat!"

She was already a little woozy from the blow she took, but Hannah shook her head in desperation and confusion at her friends' angry accusations, "What? I didn't! I'd never abandon you guys! There's gotta be some mistake here!"

"Just your mistake," Desmond grumbled as he turned to walk away, "Come on guys. Let's go home."

As the other angry Rangers turned and joined Desmond, David remained quiet and glanced down to find Hannah's small purse had fallen nearby. Noting how unusual it was to find it there, or why Hannah would just walk away from it, he bent down and picked it up. As he walked over and handed the purse back, Hannah gave him a pleading look, "Dave, I don't know what's going on. You believe me… don't you?"

Again, he stayed quiet and wrinkled his features in thought, "Come on Hannah. Let's all just go home and cool out."

From where she stood hiding in the brush, Mujina watched in sadistic glee as Hannah gave a resigned sigh and followed behind the rest of her irritable friends. The hag had just laid the groundwork for some strife and discord between the Ocean Rangers. Giving a laugh, Mujina wondered if she could further hurt the Rangers' bonds and really disrupt their ability to fight together. At the very least, it would be very amusing to her… and possibly Hine Nui if she found out too.

The Green Lady assumed the form of Hannah again and stepped from the bushes with a devilish grin. There was still a lot of work left to do.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **This plot is loosely adapted from an episode of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. As far as I know, PR Samurai never adapted the plot, so I guess it's sorta fair game? At the very least, it gives me an excuse to play with some Halloween themes and Mujina's shapeshifting powers too.**

 **Also, for any fans of PR Vanguard, there was a little callback quote from the series that I threw in just for fun. Maybe some people will catch it. ;)**


	34. Oia'i'o: Truth

**Episode 17: Part 2  
**

David Hosokawa grimaced as he sat in the living room of Naomi's beach house with the first four Ocean Rangers. Everyone was still a little sore about Hannah's poor behavior the other day and they were having a small impromptu meeting to discuss it. As the others grumbled, the doctor remained silent, still trying to make sense of the strange things that didn't add up yesterday, like the errant purse and Hannah's seeming amnesia over the incident.

Finally, he cleared his throat, "Guys... I was thinking. Don't you think we were all a little hard on Hannah the other day?"

They glanced over at him until he explained, "I mean... sure she acted badly, but we never really gave her a chance to explain anything. Everyone was too busy being angry to listen."

Both the girls stopped and considered for a moment. After a pause, Alex nodded, "Well... you do have a point Dave. I guess we should give her a chance. I'll see if she'll want to meet at Bailey's later. You want to come too?"

He nodded and turned to the Red and Blue Rangers, "What about you two?"

Cam gave a sigh and a placating nod, "Yeah... I will, but I'll catch up with you guys in a bit. I really need to change the oil in my car first. I've been putting it off all week."

Desmond shrugged, "I'll stick around here for a little bit too. I left a new water color painting out on the deck of my boat and I need to make sure it's dry."

With things settled, the five friends split up to take care of their tasks. Desmond headed off toward the back of the house where his little fishing boat was docked in a slip, and was surprised to see Hannah already waiting there on the deck, admiring his newest painting. It was a picture of a colorful coral reef.

"Hannah? What are you doing here?" Desmond asked. "Have you been here for a while?"

She gave snakelike grin and spoke in an exaggerated apologetic voice, "Hey Desmond... yeah, I came to apologize. I was still kinda embarrassed about acting like such a jerk yesterday so I wanted to make it up to you guys."

Desmond raised an eyebrow, "Really? How?"

Hannah smirked again, "Your painting's almost dry. Let me help you carry it in? What do you say?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Cam had already gotten to work changing the oil of his car in the driveway. As he lay under the car bleeding the old oil into a pan and doing a spot check of other parts underneath, he glanced over and saw two unusual green sneakers walk up to the edge of the car.

"Cam? Is that you? Are you under there?" the voice of Hannah asked innocently.

The Blue Ranger rolled his eyes with a gentle sigh and kept working, "Yeah, I'm here. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be meeting with the girls at Bailey's place."

"Oh... I'll go," she said after a pause, "But I wanted to stop in and say I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was way out of line and you guys were right to lecture me. It won't happen again... I promise."

Cam stopped and considered the apology for a moment. It seemed sincere enough. "Well... ok, I guess. Tell you what, if you're really sorry, could you hand me a fresh can of oil from the garage workbench?"

The two feet moved over for a minute before coming back, "Here, let me help you with this."

As 'Hannah' poured the new oil into the car, she didn't wait for Cam to screw the filter back in. All of a sudden, the Blue Ranger began to flail and sputter as oil sprayed down and covered his arms and his shirt. After wiping some oil from his face, he bolted up from underneath the car with a furious look but saw the driveway was empty. While he did, he was surprised to see an equally furious Desmond storm out of the house, "Where is she? I'm gonna turn her into fishing chum!"

"Take a number man," Cam growled stopping his friend.

Desmond blinked in surprise and asked, "Geez Cam, what happened to you? You look more like a Black Ranger now."

"Haha. Very funny," Cam grumbled, "Hannah happened. She just dumped a whole can of motor oil on me, and I'm pretty sure it was on purpose too."

The Red Ranger nodded sympathetically, "Well, she just trashed my newest painting out back too, then she just ran away. You think we'll find her at Bailey's?"

Cam shrugged, "Only one way to be sure."

* * *

Some time later at the Silver Marlin restaurant in Waikiki, Naomi and Alex sat at a table having some pastry snacks while David went to the bathroom. As they chatted, the two girls turned to see Hannah approach from the entrance of the restaurant.

"There you are!" Alex called while waving her over, "We've been waiting for you. We wanted to talk about yesterday."

The Orange Ranger snorted and her lip curled into a sardonic smile, "There's nothing to talk about. You guys chewed me out and now all of a sudden you want to be all nice-nice again? Let me make things simple for you two."

With that, she grabbed the pastries off their plates and smashed them into the girls' faces.

"Much better," the teen smiled before walking off with a vengeful laugh. As she headed out the door, she passed David leaving the bathroom.

Moments later, David returned to the table and looked on in shock before the real Hannah walked into the restaurant checking her phone, "Hey, sorry I'm later everyone. I... what happened here?"

"I can't believe you just did that!" Alex growled wiping her face off.

"Yeah, totally not cool Hannah!" Naomi added with an angry frown.

The real Orange Ranger sputtered in confusion before she saw Desmond and Cam walk in looking just as upset. The Red Ranger fumed, "What's gotten into you? First you ruin my painting, then you dump motor oil all over Cam?"

"What? I didn't... I just got here!" Hannah protested.

"You know what? I don't want to hear any more excuses," Cam cut in harshly, "Unless you want to grow up and act like an adult, then we're all done talking to you today."

The others angrily turned and left, with Dave giving another conflicted face and reluctantly following the others. The Orange Ranger stood in shock, unsure whether she wanted to feel angry or cry instead. Shaking her head, she walked out of the restaurant and headed toward the beach to go clear her mind. As she did, she didn't notice Mujina hiding nearby watching the scene.

With another cackle, the monster shapeshifted into David and followed Hannah out to the beachfront where she had pulled off her sandals and waded into the water to calm herself.

As the steady sound of the waves washed upon the shore, Hannah took a deep breath trying to calm herself while figuring out what was going on. Her thoughts were interrupted as Mujina (in the form of David) approached.

"Hey… uh… is everything ok? I just saw how the others went off on you back there."

The Orange Ranger glanced behind her for a moment before tuning back toward the sea. "Oh Dave… came to yell at me too? Probably for something I didn't do either?"

Mujina gave a gentle smile and continued to walk forward, "No. I'm on your side here. The others may think you're some immature brat, but I don't."

"See? That's just it!" Hannah huffed to herself, "I'm not a stupid little kid and I don't have a bad attitude either. They won't even listen to me when I'm trying to tell them that the bad stuff happening isn't even my fault. I've been nowhere near them today!

Mujina drew close behind and laid a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll think of something."

From where she stood, Hannah glanced down at the ocean water around her ankles and saw the horrifying reflection of the Green Lady Mujina behind her. The Orange Ranger quickly turned to look into the seemingly innocent face of David behind her. She held her breath and kept her face straight to not let on that she had seen the imposter behind her.

"Is something wrong?" David asked gently.

Hannah stepped aside and put a few steps between them, "I… I was just thinking… now might not be a good time."

Mujina remained silent as Hannah paced slowly, "You do know about that meeting Desmond had called for later, right? He said it was about a way to stop Hine Nui for good."

Mujina paused in surprise. This just got interesting. Had the Rangers been working on some secret plan against her Queen? Even better if she could use it to set a surprise ambush herself, "I... yes, of course."

Hannah nodded, "The others were going to go meet near the Diamond Head volcano cone later, but I probably shouldn't go. I'll just make everyone mad again. Would you be willing to tell me what happens at the meeting?"

Mujina smiled and nodded before heading away from the beach, "Sure thing. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Hannah held her breath and watched the imposter Green Ranger walk off. Once the Green lady was out of sight, Hannah reached for her cell phone and dialed the real David's number. They were going to get to the bottom of this and stop the phony Ranger impersonator once and for all.

* * *

Desmond sighed and tapped his foot impatiently as the other Ocean Rangers gathered at the base of Diamond Head cone. The extinct volcanic cone just east of Honolulu offered a panoramic view of the city and the lush green plant life which had sprung up helped fill out the state park where the heroes waited. A small babbling brook trickled nearby while the Rangers continued to listen to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees.

"Why do you think Hannah chose this spot to meet us?" Alex muttered while taking a seat on a nearby rock.

David glanced around warily, "Trust me, if the thing she told me about is true, then there won't be as many people around to get hurt."

Everyone gave David a puzzled look before Cam crossed his arms with a snort, "Well, whatever the case, I think _Hurricane Hannah_ 's done enough damage already."

Before anyone else could speak again, the five friends heard the sound of footsteps coming up the rocky path. They stopped and turned to see Hannah strolling up the main walking trail with a calm cheerful smile. "Hi everyone… sorry I'm late."

Desmond raised an eyebrow but played along, "That's ok… you're right on time."

The Orange Ranger nodded, "So, I heard from David that you guys had a plan to defeat Hine Nui once and for all?"

The other five Rangers exchanged a slow look before turning to Dave. The Green Ranger cleared his throat and stepped forward, "We have one… but we'll have to be sure we can trust you."

The girl feigned a look of mild outrage, "What? Why wouldn't you guys trust me?"

"Maybe because you're not who you appear to be," Dave answered quickly, "Show yourself monster."

The form of Hannah began to change and distort until it became that of the ugly green swamp hag Mujina. The other Rangers tensed up as the Green Lady cackled and continued walking forward, "I'm a little surprised you Rangers were able to see through my disguise."

"Gross! Who are you?" Naomi asked while wrinkling her features in disgust.

"I am Lady Mujina, faithful servant to the Queen of Death and Darkness. You may have learned my identity, but it still won't do you any good."

"Did you forget? There are five of us and one of you," Desmond challenged as he stepped to the forefront.

Mujina scoffed and gave a whistle. From all around the wooded rock formations, Nightmarcher soldiers emerged, ready to attack, "You thought I wouldn't plan ahead?"

Cam scanned the battlefield and gave a tense glance to Desmond, "Damn, that's a lot of flunkies."

"Don't worry," David smiled, "Help is on the way."

Moments later, a bright bolt of searing orange sunlight struck Mujina from behind and threw her to the ground. The other Rangers looked up and gasped in surprise as they saw the real Hannah make her way up the path amid the orange glow of her own Ocean Bracer.

"You brat! What are you doing?" the hag snarled as she rose to face her new opponent.

"I'm exposing the truth," Hannah replied, "And showing my friends they had been tricked by you."

Mujina gnashed her teeth as the Orange Ranger continued, "When you came to me disguised as David, the ocean waters showed your true reflection. So I called the real David afterward and set this up, to bring you out into the open."

David nodded, "It all made sense now. You've been drawn out from hiding and now we're going to destroy you."

To Hannah's surprise, Mujina smirked in amusement, "Fooling a trickster... impressive."

The Orange Ranger raised her Ocean Bracer, "All right Mujina, you like to shapeshift? Well I can change forms too."

In a flash, she and the other Rangers morphed and summoned their weapons to do battle.

Mujina waved her troops on, "Nightmarchers! Kill them!"

As the other Rangers locked into fierce battle battle with the Nightmarchers around them, the Orange Ranger charged Mujina and attacked with her hooked sickle. The monster snarled and blocked the attacks with her staff before Hannah sent her flying backwards with a flying flip kick.

As the other Rangers regrouped, Mujina rose to her feet and leveled her staff, firing a powerful burst of green energy-sapping lightning. The others Rangers were thrown backward from the resulting explosion, but surprisingly, both the Orange and Green Rangers stayed on their feet and continued charging through the smoke.

Mujina snorted and pounded her staff on the ground causing an eruption of swampy poisonous vines to erupt from the soil and hinder their way. As she hacked the first wave of vines away, Hannah tumbled aside and let David step forward to counter with his own mastery of nature magic. His Ocean Bracer flared green causing the vines to recoil and burn away against the positive natural energy of Creation.

Before Mujina could raise her staff again to cast another spell, Hannah snared it with her weapon's whip ability, distracting the hag. David took that opening to bring his own club around for a power strike. The hag raised her guard just in time to block, but she was violently thrown back again by the sheer force and saw her weapon break apart.

"This is only the beginning Ocean Rangers," the Green Lady hissed venomously, "Hine Nui will have her revenge on you… and so will I."

With that, she melted into a green slimy goo and escaped the battlefield through the ground.

David and Hannah watched the hag depart and gave each other a nod before turning back to the others. Alex was already busy invoking the healing powers of Laka to remove the energy draining curse caused by Mujina's magic. As she finished, everyone powered down and came to gather around the Green and Orange Rangers.

Desmond cleared his throat sheepishly, "Um, I think some apologies are in order here… especially to you Hannah."

Cam also hung his head in embarrassment, "Yeah… we really didn't mean to go off on you like that, especially since it looks like you weren't the one doing all those horrible things."

Both Naomi and Alex gave awkward nods and muttered their apologies too. Despite her friends' shame, Hannah waved it off, "Forget it everyone. It's all over now. Fortunately Doc here was observant and clever enough to figure out something was wrong."

The doctor chuckled, "Hannah told me before that she felt uncomfortable acting out in ways that wasn't like her, and Mujina seemed way too comfortable with the whole bad girl act. When Hannah and I figured it out, we decided to set a trap of our own, but we needed you guys to believe it too."

Well, I'm just glad the early Halloween masquerade is over," Alex sighed, "Still... I feel like we owe Hannah for all the blame we dumped on her."

The Orange Ranger gave a thoughtful smile, "Well, there is one thing you can do. If the Halloween party is still on, maybe you guys could help me make a good costume?"

* * *

Later that weekend, upbeat music blared from some stereo speakers as a small costumed crowd of party-goers milled about Naomi's beach house, eating, drinking, dancing, and socializing. The place had been decked out in festive Halloween decorations, albeit with a distinct Hawaiian style flavor to it. About an hour into the party, a familiar Red Ranger appeared looking a bit self conscious.

"Bailey, I feel stupid wearing this," Desmond groaned as he and his girlfriend walked over toward a table full of snacks set out at the edge of the living room. He was wearing a blue hooded onesie suit designed like the Disney character Stitch. Beside him, Bailey wore a red Hawaiian patterned dress to pair with him as the character Lilo.

"No way," she laughed while holding his arm and giving an affectionate poke, "I think you look adorable."

"You're like, half my size. Shouldn't you be Stitch? Blue's not my color anyway."

Bailey shook her head with another laugh as they joined the other Rangers by the table, "Unless you want to wear a red female dress."

At the table, they were joined by Alex serving punch while dressed like a devil along with Naomi's cousin Leilani decked out as a mad scientist.

"Hey! Looking good Desmond. Love the color," Cam teased gently as he walked over to hand his housemate a plate of appetizers. The Blue Ranger was dressed in a modern Captain America costume.

Bailey smiled again and looked around, "Hey Cam, before I forget... did Hannah ever find a good outfit?"

"See for yourself," he chuckled pointing out toward the living room. Amid some other guests enjoying the music, the Green and Orange Rangers were busy having a two person dance party to celebrate their tag team win over Mujina. To say the least, it was a strange sight to see a bespectacled pirate dancing alongside a blonde zombie in a cheap orange prom dress.

"I think it suits her well," Desmond nodded in agreement.

Before he could add another comment to Desmond's, Cam felt a tug at his wrist and saw Naomi coaxing him out toward the floor with a smile. "Sorry to interrupt everyone. Mind if I borrow Cap here for a dance?"

He could only give a self-satisfied grin to the others while following the Sexy Witch out toward the dance floor, "What can I say? She's put a spell over me."

"Doubtful," Alex quipped to the others with a smile, "Looks more like Hine Nui's doing to me."

As the others laughed again, Desmond pulled Bailey along with a playful wink, "In that case, let's go join them on the floor… you know, for their own protection."

* * *

Queen Hine Nui sat in her dark lair, gazing at the flickering shadows on the wall given off by the dim light of her glowing cauldron. In a nearby corner of the cavern, Mujina sat, sulking in the darkness, most likely sore from having been outmaneuvered by the Ocean Rangers.

The sea witch sighed in boredom before turning to the new figures entering the cave. In the flickering glow of the cauldron, the witch could see the familiar shape of General Kuta enter along with his heavy footsteps and his clattering carapace armor echoing loudly. To Hine Nui's surprise, Kuta brought with him what looked to be some sort of captive. The prisoner was a male humanoid figure and despite his bearing, the newcomer had a monstrous appearance as well. His skin was a rusty red color and two small horns protruded from his forehead, curling upwards.

The unknown captive wore heavy scale armor of relatively good quality and appeared to carry himself like a confident warrior, despite his situation. Kuta stopped and gave the prisoner a light push, forcing the captive to fall on his knees. "Queen Hine Nui… we have a guest. I found him washed up on the shores of the island."

The sea witch fixed a curious look on the prisoner and gave an amused smile, "Welcome to Hawaii _malahini_ (newcomer). Why don't you tell me who you are and what brings you to my humble little island."

The kneeling monster remained silent until Kuta gave him a rough kick from behind, urging him to speak. "I am Barbatos, a Captain of the Cambion Legions… at least what's left of it."

Hine Nui exchanged a curious glance with her two advisors, "Cambion Legions? I do not know of them."

Barbatos eyed Kuta warily, "Nine years ago, we were once a proud army of ancient demons serving under the command of a glorious Archangel named Gideon."

"And what became of this Gideon?" Kuta asked curiously.

Barbatos sighed, "My Lord Gideon was slain in battle and the Cambion Legions shattered by a group of angelic heroes… the Vanguard Rangers."

Hine Nui's brow furrowed as she sat in silent thought. "Vanguard Rangers? More meddling Power Rangers from the mainland?"

Barbatos bowed his head, "Yes. I was seeking a way to take revenge on them."

"By drowning yourself in the sea?" Mujina asked with hint of a sardonic laugh.

Barbatos shook his head, "No. By trying to summon a colossal sea serpent named Leviathan. The great beast was once in service to Gideon. It was my hope that perhaps it would still fight for our cause."

"Yet you lack the sorcery and the command of the oceans to do it…" Hine Nui concluded.

Barbatos grimaced and lowered his head again in shame, "I… yes."

Kuta turned to the sea witch with a curious expression, "My Queen? What shall we do with the prisoner?"

Hine Nui sat thinking in silence before giving an evil smile, "Release Captain Barbatos. I would like to hear more about this Leviathan, and how we might exact our revenge on the Power Rangers… together."

* * *

 *** The Vanguard/Oceania team-up begins now...**


	35. Anela: Angel

**Episode 18: Part 1  
**

Colorful Christmas lights lit up the bright front lobby of the Hilton Hotel as holiday music played and other tourists passed by to head out into the bright morning sunshine. At the front desk, a young hotel receptionist was busy typing at her computer keyboard to make arrangements while a young man stood waiting at the opposite end of the counter. The young man looked to be in his late twenties, handsome and clean cut with sandy light brown hair and a slim but muscled swimmer's build. He was well dressed wearing a preppy looking royal blue polo shirt and white khaki shorts.

After a few more moments, the receptionist handed back a blue credit card to the man along with his keycards, "Ok Mr. Winthrope, your suite is ready and all the special arrangements you made will be prepared."

The young man gave a charming grin and put his credit card away, "Great, thanks! I don't plan on sparing any expense."

"I understand," the girl nodded with a pleasant smile, "Please enjoy your stay Mr. Winthrope."

Danny Winthrope tucked the key cards away and headed over toward a large glass window in the lobby overlooking the resort's pool that was styled like a lush tropical lagoon. Looking out the window was a beautiful young Hispanic woman with tan skin and long wavy brown hair. She had a slim toned build and wore a short summer dress colored in pink and white.

Danny smiled and put his arms around the woman's waist from behind while gently cuddling his cheek to hers. "Well Isabel, we're finally here."

Isabel smiled and gave a content sigh as she leaned back in her husband's arms, "It's perfect _mi amor_ (my love), I can't wait to start touring the island later… maybe after a little nap? It was a long flight here."

Danny smiled and placed a few gentle kisses down her neck and shoulder, "Go straight to bed already? I like that idea."

Isabel giggled and turned around, giving him a playful slap in the chest, "Oh stop it. You're such a horndog Danny!"

Danny gave a serene smile and laughed, "Sorry Izzy, I can't help it. Going on a romantic honeymoon together, and with such a beautiful wife... can you really blame me?"

Izzy returned his sly smile and gave him a quick kiss, "Nice save _cariño_ (honey). Play your cards right and we'll see how things go, hmm? Now come on, can you help carry some of my luggage upstairs?"

Danny let go and grabbed hold of some suitcases with an overly dramatic sigh, "Yes Dear."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Honolulu, at the Naval headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Cameron Monroe sat in the spacious immaculate office of Admiral James Taylor. As before, the room was well furnished and the blinds were open, letting in lots of bright Hawaiian sunlight. The young Navy officer gave a curious look as his other superior officer, Captain Benjamin Ramos, handed him a large file envelope. The Philippine-American Captain wore an unusually stoic and unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm sure you must be curious as to why you're here Lieutenant?" the Admiral asked as he calmly folded his hands together and sat back in his seat.

"Yes sir," Cam answered doing his best to hide any sort of apprehension. He often came in once a month to give his reports and fill the Admiral in about any new developments in the fight against the monsters. Still, it had been unusual that this meeting was suddenly called out of the blue.

The older Admiral cleared his throat, "I've been following your reports on the situation… about the threat from this sea witch named Hine Nui. Up to now, I have to say that your efforts, along with those of the other Ocean Rangers have been commendable."

"Thank you sir," Cam nodded again while giving a look over to the stoic Captain Ramos standing nearby.

The Admiral furrowed his brows, "So far, you've been able to neutralize the threats to this island, but I'm afraid that something much larger… and much more dangerous is coming."

"Sir?"

The Admiral gestured for Cam to open the envelope, "Naval intelligence has received several strange reports from the Pacific Fleet. The data we've collected recently suggests that there may be something large in the water… very large."

Cam opened the file and took out the contents. Inside were various blurred photos, sensor readings and written reports from several ships that had come across the strange anomaly.

The Admiral regarded him with a cool but focused expression, "You wouldn't be able to provide any further information or insight, would you Lieutenant?"

Cam quickly skimmed over the data before shaking his head, "I'm sorry sir. Unless this is some sort of new zord that the enemy has at their disposal, I'm afraid I don't know either."

The Admiral nodded, "I see. It seems Captain Ramos here wasn't able to provide much else on the subject either, given his own encounter with the sea creature."

Cam gave his direct commanding officer a puzzled look before Ramos spoke again. "About eight or nine years ago, I was stationed out in San Diego serving as the Executive Officer on a destroyer, the USS Fairweather. We were out on a routine patrol running maneuvers west of Santa Barbara when something bizarre happened. Something struck our ship… something very large."

The Blue Ranger sat in silence considering the words as Ramos frowned to himself, "Whatever it was, it put a big dent in our hull and scared the hell out of all the enlisted sailors."

"Did you ever find out what it was, sir?" Cam asked curiously.

Ramos shook his head, "No. It all happened so fast. The people working our Sonar barely had any time to react and warn us on the bridge. What little data we picked up is also in that file."

Cam nodded, "So you think that thing might be coming back this way?"

"What else could it be Lieutenant?"

Cam's gave a serious expression and tucked the papers away, "Well sir, if and when Godzilla shows his face in Honolulu, we'll have two Megazords ready to deal with him."

Admiral Taylor shifted in his own seat while giving a grim nod, "Very good. In the mean time, I'll have the Pacific Fleet on high alert. If we come across any new developments, we'll be in contact with you. Good luck Lieutenant Monroe."

Cam rose from his seat and gave a smart salute before heading out of the room. As the door closed, Admiral Taylor turned to idly glance out his office window toward the white USS Arizona Memorial in the harbor.

Captain Ramos gave an uneasy look to his superior officer and cleared his throat, "Admiral… if that sea monster was able to sweep aside a destroyer like a toy boat, do you think the Rangers' weaponry will actually be enough to stop it?"

"It's got to be Captain," Taylor replied gravely, "Our job is to protect these islands too. If the Rangers aren't able to stop that monster, then we all need to be ready to fight as well."

* * *

A warm ocean breeze rustled through the palm trees as Desmond, Cam, and Naomi walked together through a large colorful street fair going on in downtown Honolulu. It was a bright clear afternoon and the local merchants were out in full force trying to sell their wares and draw in passing tourists while local artists provided extra entertainment. Here and there, street performers were playing ukuleles and drums while others danced hulas or showed off their arts and crafts for sale.

Amid the colorful sights and sounds, the tempting smells of freshly cooked food wafted through the air as local restaurants and street vendors grilled all sorts of meats and veggie dishes. Desmond Waihee felt his stomach rumble and he cast a glance over toward an Asian food stall serving some stir fried lo mein. He had been scoping out some of the local art at the street fair as he was an amateur artist himself. While he wanted to continue striking up conversations with some other painters, his stomach was making its own thoughts known.

"Hey, I'll be right back you two. I'm going to go grab some lunch. You want any?"

The Yellow Ranger Naomi Sato shook her head and gave him a kind smile, "Thanks Desmond, maybe later. I still want to look around some more."

"Suit yourself," the Red Ranger said, "How bout you Cam?"

The Blue Ranger remained quiet, lost in thought about his meeting with the Admiral yesterday. He had already told his two housemates about the vague threat that had been detected by the Navy, but the dread of the unknown and the possibility of a titanic monster under Hine Nui's command still gnawed on him.

Desmond waved a hand in front of his friend's face before Cam snapped back to attention, "Oh... sorry, no. I'm good. Thanks man."

Desmond shrugged and headed off to get some food while Cam glanced over to see Naomi wandering over toward a street merchant. He followed her to the stall and joined her as she sorted through some jewelry. She carefully studied several gold colored bracelets that were engraved with intricate floral patterns and other designs native to the island.

"See something you like?" he asked curiously.

Naomi held up one particular bracelet to the light and took a longer moment to study it, "I just… this one reminded me of a bracelet that my Mom wore all the time. I had always admired it when I was younger and this one had a similar pattern."

"It's nice, but I still think I like your new one better," Cam smiled in amusement while gesturing to her yellow coral Ocean Bracer.

Naomi chuckled and tried on the Hawaiian bracelet before putting it down with a sigh, "It is pretty... but also a little pricey. It's not like we lifeguards are rolling in dough."

The jeweler, a kind looking elderly Hawaiian man wearing a yellow floral shirt and a fishing cap gave a warm smile, "Your girlfriend there has good taste in jewelry mister. If you'd like, I'll help you out and we can work out a fair price for it?"

The Blue Ranger felt his face grow a little warm as he cleared his throat in embarrassment, "Oh… hold on there sir. She's not my…"

Naomi wasn't paying attention and quickly grabbed his sleeve pointing in another direction, "Hey! Look!"

The Blue Ranger whirled around and saw a small crowd of people pushing and falling over each other to get away from some kind of danger. In a heartbeat, Desmond was immediately back at his friends' sides and the three Rangers stopped to witness a strange sight. Instead of the familiar sight of Nightmarcher warriors terrorizing the city, a pack of demonic looking foot soldiers were spreading out to wreak havoc. The fearsome troops had rusty colored skin and wore hauberks of heavy metal armor.

At the head of the formation of Cambion demon foot soldiers, Captain Barbatos, the authoritative looking demon soldier with better armor and weapons gave a wave, "Secure the area. I will recover what the sea witch needs for the ritual."

The three Ocean Rangers looked to each other hesitantly as the enemy troops closed. They didn't know what was going on, who these new monsters were, or what they wanted. Even worse, there were still too many civilians around to morph.

"Do you think we should stay and fight?" Naomi asked with a nervous gulp.

"We have to," Desmond cut in, "Whoever that creep is, he's after something... probably something Hine Nui wants. Come on!"

All three Rangers rushed forward to try and intercept Barbatos but they were halted by a pack of the Cambion Magog. Desmond was the first to clash and shoved a demon away while grabbing its spear. The Red Ranger swung the spear to ward off attackers but hesitated, unsure of how to approach the new armored foes. The moment cost him as a pair of Magogs bullrushed Desmond and sent him to the pavement with a kick.

Meanwhile Naomi tried a tumbling cartwheel kick and knocked aside another soldier but she winced in pain as her soft shoe connected with the Magog's metal hauberk. She stumbled and raised her guard just in time to stop another demon's arm from bringing a mace blow down upon her. The demon snarled and used the weight of its armor to roughly shove her aside.

Nearby, Cam backpedaled to dodge the spear thrusts of another Magog. As he stumbled on some fallen debris in the street, he planted his back foot and pulled his concealed service pistol, firing several shots into the advancing demon soldier at close range. As the bullets pierced the armor, the Magog reeled and collapsed before bursting into brimstone. The Blue Ranger's victory was short lived as he was blindsided by another Magog and shoulder checked to the ground near his fellow Rangers.

As the Magogs began to close in for the kill, they were stopped by someone shouting, "Hey! You tin heads have some nerve! Can't you see we're on vacation?"

Everyone turned to see a young man and woman stroll calmly into the now evacuated plaza. As they came to a stop, both Danny and Izzy Winthrope stood their ground and slowly pulled two brass artifacts from their pockets. The small wand-like artifacts resembled large keys with intricate sigil engravings, a colored jewel at the head, and a stylized wing motif. At the sight of the familiar Keyrunes, the Magog soldiers halted in their tracks, flinching in fear as sudden realization began to dawn on them. This was not an ordinary pair of tourists on a honeymoon... these were Vanguard Rangers.

A slow smile began to creep onto Izzy's face as she turned to Danny, "And to think, we almost decided to leave these things at home. Any idea what the Cambion are doing here?"

Danny shook his head, "No clue, but we can figure that out later. Right now, I think it's time to shake off some rust from these Keyrunes. You ready?"

Izzy gave a nod and both raised their Keyrunes high, " _Vanguard Ascend_!"

From where they lay on the ground, Desmond, Cam, and Naomi stared in awe as a bright shimmering nimbus of celestial light filled the plaza and engulfed the two strangers. As the light faded, two magnificent Power Rangers in Blue and Pink stood before them. The colored suits had angelic white and gold trim somewhat resembling that of the Megaforce Rangers. Looking closer, the pattern of the suits also bore some hints of an antiquated martial design inspired by the armor of the old Roman legionaries. These must have been the Vanguard Rangers.

In unison, both the Blue and Pink Rangers drew their gladius short swords and locked their Keyrunes into the hilts, instantly transforming the weapons into a magnificent spear and rapier.

"Whoah... no way!" Desmond exclaimed in complete awe.

Danny stepped forward and leveled his spear on the monsters, "Vanguard, take flight!"

All three Ocean Rangers sat with wide eyes and open mouths as the two Rangers each summoned a pair of shimmering wings and burst forward with incredible speed. Before the Magogs could register what happened, the two angels took a combined winged leap and plowed directly into them. It had been many years since the two Rangers had been required to call on their powers again, but the familiar movements and feel of combat came right back.

Watching the two, it was as if no time had passed since their days of fighting the demons in college. While both Rangers were still very strong and fit, they now fought with the added advantage of age and the refined fighting experience that came with it.

Danny lanced through the crowd with his spear and gave it an impressive twirl before hurling several demons away with a twisting elemental water strike. Right beside him, Izzy tumbled through the demons with blinding grace and agility, cutting them to ribbons with her own rapier. As she made a few twirling dancing motions, a handful of Magogs were thrown aside by a powerful burst of wind from her blade.

Turning calmly, both Rangers saw the last group of Magog soldiers bend down to train a cluster of crossbows at them. As the Magogs fired, the two angelic Rangers took defensive stances and summoned their shimmering wings to curl around them and easily deflect the missiles. As the wings burst open again, both Rangers drew their own Feather Stinger pistols and returned fire with a volley of golden blaster bolts. Each shot struck home, instantly killing the demon troops.

While the battle raged, Captain Barbatos was already busy picking through the ruins of a collapsed jewelry stand, the same one Naomi had been looking at. As he shoved aside some necklaces and rings, he grabbed a large tooth shaped object tied to a necklace and tucked it away with a smile. Seeing that his Magog escorts had been wiped out, the demon grunted and fled the scene in a cloud of black smoke, content that he still got what he came for.

As the battle died down and the last dead Magog erupted into a cloud of fiery brimstone, the two Vanguard Rangers gave a satisfied nod and powered down. Danny gave one more careful look around to make sure the plaza was clear before giving a small smile, "It's been a while, but we still know how to kick a ton of demon ass, huh?"

Izzy took his hand with a smile and nodded, "And we still make the suits look pretty good too, dear."

Danny chuckled and nodded before turning to the three awestruck Ocean Rangers, still huddled on the ground nearby. Both Vanguard Rangers approached them with gentle smiles and extended their hands.

"Are you folks ok?" Izzy asked as she helped Naomi to her feet.

The Yellow Ocean Ranger stammered in surprise, "You're them... the angels... I mean, we've heard about you... the Vangurd Rangers?"

"At your service," Danny answered with a cheerful wink as he deftly hauled Desmond and Cam to their feet. "I hope you've heard only good things."

"Have we? Man, you guys were awesome!" Desmond cheered enthusiastically shaking Danny's hand, "To think... Power Rangers saving Power Rangers today..."

Danny and Izzy exchanged a puzzled look as Cam groaned, face-palming at Desmond's overenthusiastic slip of the tongue.

The Pink Vanguard Ranger gave the three younger people a curious look, "You three... you're Power Rangers too?"

"Yes Ma'am," Cam answered with a respectful nod before showing his Ocean Bracer, "Ocean Rangers to be exact."

"We're all very grateful for you saving us today," Naomi added giving the two visitors a small but humble bow of her head, "Thank you."

Danny and Izzy gave another surprised look to each other before Desmond cleared his throat and eyed the ruins of the street festival, "Before we get to introductions, we should probably get moving and find a place to talk... then maybe figure out what that whole random monster attack was all about?"

"Seems reasonable to me," Danny shrugged, "If that place serves a good mai tai, then all the better. Lead on."


	36. Hoaloha: Friend

**Episode 18: Part 2  
**

"Wow, this looks delicious. Thank you," Izzy beamed as Bailey Hampshire served a fresh hot plate of grilled pineapples and breaded chicken to the two visiting Rangers. Danny and Izzy were seated at one of the Silver Marlin restaurant's large tables along with the rest of the Ocean Rangers going through introductions with everyone.

"Desmond wasn't kidding either. This Mai Tai is excellent," Danny added raising his glass to Bailey. "With grub like this, I can see why he and his friends all like coming here."

As the meeting got back underway, Hannah began gushing again, "Sorry, but this is so cool meeting you guys! I've been reading a book by your mentor Dr. Bishop for one of my classes this semester. He sounds totally awesome!"

"He is," Izzy agreed with a chuckle, "Through he's too modest a person to admit it... but thank you anyway."

Alex smiled warmly and glanced out the window to the skies, "So you guys can really fly around on angel wings and do the whole smiting evil and divine punishment stuff?"

"Well… sorta," Danny replied as he sampled some chicken, "Except we're not working for some divine being or organized religion… it's more like we're looking after the artifacts of an ancient race of winged humans... it's a long story, trust me."

After a pause, David adjusted his glasses and nodded with a thoughtful look, "The important thing is that we find out what these Cambion demons are doing here. Hadn't they been completely destroyed?"

Izzy shook her head, "Not entirely. Back in Hyperion Falls, we destroyed their leader Gideon, as well as the majority of their invasion force. We know that a few small pockets of demon troops fled and went into hiding afterward."

Danny's face became a little more serious as he put a hand over Izzy's, "The Cambion are disciplined warriors who rely on hierarchy and order. Without strong leadership, they usually become weak and directionless."

"Except they've found a leader," Desmond noted, "Maybe not as strong as Gideon, but one that's trying to be like him. When we were at the street fair, that demon commander said something about a ritual and the sea witch."

"I assume he was referring to that witch Hine Nui you guys told us about," Izzy confirmed.

"Is it really possible that the two factions are working together now?" Cam mused as he crossed his arms with a thoughtful frown, "If so… why would they? What is their goal?"

"I can think of one thing," Danny said solemnly, "Revenge. Hine Nui is already at war with you guys. No doubt she can provide them with a way to regrow their strength… maybe enough to try and carry on Gideon's mission again."

David chewed his lip, "But something doesn't add up… what does the Cambion Legion have to offer Hine Nui? Their forces are virtually in ruins."

"And they don't sound like they're well equipped for battle in an island setting either," Alex said.

After a long pause, Danny and Izzy's eyes grew wide and they exchanged a worried look. Izzy's voice wavered momentarily, "You don't think…"

Danny gave his wife's hand a gentle but reassuring squeeze, "We'd better give the others a call as soon as possible."

The Ocean Rangers exchanged puzzled looks before Danny addressed the table, "Hine Nui and the Cambion may be trying to call upon a great beast named Leviathan."

"Like biblical Leviathan?" Hannah asked, "As in giant scary monster?"

"Worse," Izzy interjected, "The Cambion had a giant sea serpent at their command and we barely fought it off nine years ago. It was said to be nearly indestructible and it took two of our Megazords just to wound it."

"Two Megazords, just to hurt it?" Cam asked in astonishment. It seemed like he made a slight miscalculation when he last spoke to Admiral Taylor.

Alex sat up in her seat with a confident smile, "Well it just so happens that we've got a couple on hand too. Now I'm sure we can kick its butt."

Izzy gave a guarded smile and turned to Danny, "Their Pink Ranger is gutsy. I like her."

Danny rose slowly and pulled out his phone, "Well, better safe than sorry. I'm going to make a few calls."

"Oh? Taking some initiative? I'm impressed," Izzy said in amusement.

Danny's trademark cockiness began to shine again, "Well… someone's got to. I'm technically the leader of the Vanguard Rangers right now."

Izzy fixed him a pointed look.

"That is… until Joe gets here, of course."

"Of course," Izzy nodded in approval before smiling to the younger Ocean Rangers, "Red Rangers can be a little territorial about that kind of thing you know."

"Oh, I totally agree," Desmond grinned as Naomi sighed and gave him a gentle elbow in the ribs.

She handed him an empty plate and pointed toward the kitchen, "All right mighty Red Ranger, why don't you lend Bailey a hand and go get some more snacks for our guests."

* * *

Back on the Phantom Isle, Captain Barbatos trudged up the sandy beaches and came to a halt where Hine Nui and her two lieutenants stood waiting. As the Cambion soldier approached, he could see that Hine Nui's cauldron had been moved out toward the beachfront and the sea witch was busy at work, managing the swirling glowing liquids inside it. Amid the ominous pounding sounds of the dark surf and the eldritch glow of the cauldron, Barbatos couldn't help but feel a little unnerved.

"Ah Captain, you've returned," the sea witch said idly without looking up, "You succeeded in your search?"

Barbatos held out the large tooth affixed to the necklace he had taken from the jeweler, "I have. This is a chipped end from one of Leviathan's teeth. The stupid humans probably didn't even know what it was."

The sea witch nodded and took the tip of the thick tooth before dropping it into the bubbling cauldron. "Excellent. With it, we have all the components needed to finish the summoning spell."

As the witch dropped in a writhing purple sea anemone causing the cauldron to bubble vigorously, the armored mollusk General Kuta cast an uneasy eye on the concoction. "My Queen... I don't quite understand. How will the contents of that vat summon something as large as Leviathan?"

Hine Nui chanted a few words and calmed the bubbling liquid, "I intend to dump this out into the oceans. The creature will do the rest."

Nearby, the Green Lady Mujina began to smile in understanding, "I see now... Leviathan is a predator. This mixture will be acting like blood in the water for a shark."

"Precisely," Hine Nui said while stirring the cauldron. "This potion will still take some time to cook, but in the mean time, there is much work left to be done."

Both generals turned in surprise before the sea witch cast her eyes out toward Oahu, "You three must go and gather one more thing to ensure the success of this plan. Lots of prisoners."

Kuta stiffened up and gave a mild frown, "My Queen, I don't see the strategic benefit of taking prisoners on a large scale. It will likely get in the way of coordinating our attacks."

Hine Nui shook her head, "You misunderstand General. The prisoners don't have a military purpose. There is a much more practical reason... Leviathan will no doubt be very hungry."

Captain Barbatos couldn't help but smile at the cruel pragmatism of the sea witch, "Indeed. If we can make a token effort to appease Leviathan's hunger, then we might be able to gain control of it."

Kuta and Mujina exchanged a hesitant look before nodding, "A joint effort then. We'll make ready another diversion attack."

Barbatos cleared his throat, "I should warn you. I came across a pair of Vanguard Rangers in the city... the same ones who obliterated my kind. If they call upon their allies for help, things will become difficult."

Hine Nui pursed her lips thoughtfully before turning back to her cauldron, "Do not worry yourself with them. Focus on the mission and let me worry about the rest."

Barbatos regarded the witch carefully before he heard Kuta give a terse grunt, "Come along and gather your troops demon. We have work to do."

* * *

The next morning, the Ocean Rangers gathered at the beach house along with Danny and Izzy for a late Saturday morning breakfast. Inside, Naomi and Hannah sat with Izzy swapping stories of all their past adventures while Alex and Cam busily hovered over the stove and oven, cooking breakfast for the growing Ranger army. Outside in the little beach inlet, Desmond proudly showed off his sailboat to Danny, filling his ear about all the strange things he had seen and come across while out fishing.

While the two men talked and exchanged a few corny jokes with each other, David Hosokawa walked down the sands and waded into the ocean. He stopped when he was almost knee deep and closed his eyes. Right now, he wanted to enjoy the feel of the bright warm sun on his face, the gentle ocean breeze on his skin and the cool waters underfoot. In that moment, the peace and tranquility was sublime... until a large shadow passed overhead.

David sensed the large shadow above and he opened his eyes, turning them up towards the heavens. The moment he did, his eyes went wide in shock and he fell over backwards into the water as a large unknown zord descended toward the beach like a giant 747 passenger jet. It was a giant winged horse resembling a mythological pegasus.

As the giant pegasus landed gently in the shallows, folding its wings and rearing up, David watched as two more morphed Vanguard Rangers seemingly teleported from the helm of the creature and waded toward him. One looked to be a tall burly male in green while the other had the build of a tall athletic female in a gold suit.

The Green Vanguard Ranger bent down and extended a friendly hand to help David back up, "Hey, sorry about that buddy. It's been a while and Kara here could use some work on her landings."

The Gold Ranger sighed and gave her companion a swift punch to the arm, "You're welcome for the lift. After several hours of sharing that cockpit with you, you'll forgive me for being in a rush to get out."

David blinked in silence, watching the pegasus zord take off again before he heard Danny and Izzy give excited shouts. "Nick! Kara! You made it!"

The other Rangers gathered around the shallow waters behind the house as the Green and Gold Vanguard Rangers removed their helmets and greeted their old comrades. Both had blond hair and fair features. After Danny gave Kara a hug, he clasped hands with Nick, giving a wide grin, "Thanks for coming on such short notice big guy. I'm glad you could make it."

Nick laughed and gave a wink, "Don't misunderstand preppy, I just came because I was worried about Izzy here. Someone had to make sure you were taking care of her on your honeymoon."

Izzy laughed and gave the Green Vanguard Ranger a kiss on the cheek in greeting, "Thank you Nick. Danny's been behaving himself... mostly."

Danny turned to David and the other Ocean Rangers nearby, "Everyone, these are more of our friends... Nick Adler and Kara Bishop... the Green and Gold Rangers."

As they went through a quick introduction, Nick shook David's hand, "You must be my fellow Green. You're just as tall and built like an oak tree too."

David gave a polite shrug, "Well... I don't know about that. Danny did mention you were big into Botany, so at least we've got that in common."

"Awesome! We'll talk later then," Nick replied cheerfully, "That is, if Kara doesn't find something else to nag me about in the mean time."

Alex tilted her head curiously toward Nick as she walked over, "I don't suppose you two are like Danny and Izzy here... uh, are you?"

The question caught Kara a little off guard and her cheeks began turning a slight shade of red in embarrassment before Nick simply waved it off with a laugh, "You mean like a couple... or married? Nah. The other two Rangers are though."

"Speaking of…" Izzy prompted, "Where are Joe and Claire?"

"They're on the way," Kara answered in her usual stoic inflection. "Their work schedules were a little less... flexible."

Danny cleared his throat and stepped forward, "All right, until they show up, it's our job to help stop the little demon infestation on this island. The Ocean Rangers have a feeling that our mutual enemies might be working together and trying to stir up Leviathan."

Nick and Kara exchanged a troubled look before the little reunion was interrupted again. They watched as the stones of the Ocean Rangers' bracelets began flickering to life. Desmond turned toward the others with a quick nod, "All right everyone, looks like the monsters are at it again. I think it's time we defend our home turf and get a little payback for yesterday."

He turned to the four Vanguard Rangers among them, "And if our new friends here would like to come too, then you're more than welcome to join in."

Danny gave a resolute nod before Kara frowned, "There is one problem. How will the Ocean Rangers get to the battlefield in time if they cannot fly?"

"Not to worry," Hannah grinned brightly as she tapped her bracelet and patted the Gold Ranger's shoulder, "We've got our own unique way of getting around the island. Allow us to demonstrate."

* * *

Mr. Koichiro Sato gave a relaxed sigh as he took a stroll down the shady well kept streets of his subdivision in Kahala. The affluent Honolulu neighborhood just east of the Diamond Head State Park was lined with impressive mansions, tall palm trees, and well maintained walking paths which many of the local residents liked to enjoy on mild days like today. Up above, birds chirped as golden sunlight filtered in through the shady leaves of the palm trees.

The older Japanese businessman stopped at the corner of a local park and debated whether he should peek into the neighborhood's annual Christmas barbecue or head back to his own quiet mansion when he heard the cries of terrified people coming from nearby. Mr. Sato hurried over toward the edge of the park and froze when he saw a large number of monstrous soldiers spreading out and rounding up a large crowd of local residents who had been enjoying their day outdoors, barbecuing and playing with their families.

Leading the troops was a grotesque shellfish warrior in armor, along with a green swamp hag, and what looked to be some sort of horned devil in scale mail armor. Sato held his breath and wondered if his daughter Naomi and her friends knew about this, or if they were already responding. He crouched behind a bush and reached for his cell phone, but decided against it, not wanting to make any noise. It didn't do him any good as a group of patrolling monsters suddenly grabbed him from behind and shoved him roughly toward their growing camp of prisoners.

As Sato was escorted toward the captive crowd, he heard the worried murmurs of parents trying to calm some of the younger crying children. When he approached, Mujina turned and gave an amused sneer, "What have we here? You chose a bad day to wander off and get lost old man."

He struggled against the grip of a Magog and a Nightmarcher in defiance, "We'll see who has a bad day you slimy hag."

He was immediately struck across the face as General Kuta lashed out and backhanded him viciously. As the monster soldiers hauled the stunned older man back to his feet, Kuta gave a cruel smile, "Enough. Have some respect for the lady."

The mollusk warrior was immediately silenced as several bolts of elemental energy seared the air and exploded around him. The monsters looked up together to see the source of the warning shots. From across the parkways, they saw four morphed Vanguard Rangers walking forward with their glowing Keyrunes brandished. Walking in line with them were six Ocean Rangers armed for battle with their own melee weapons.

Desmond was the first to step forward and he planted his spear in the ground, "I don't know what you monsters are doing here, but your little picnic is over. Let those people go!"

Barbatos sniffed in reply, "We don't have time for this Ranger. We need these people and you're not going to stop us from taking them!"

"That's a large boast from such a scrawny demon," Kara taunted as she called on her twin scimitars. Barbatos ground his teeth in fury as she continued, "You're not even half as intimidating as your late Lord Gideon was."

Meanwhile, from where he was being corralled, Mr. Sato spotted his daughter and a wave of relief and hope began to sweep over him. Taking a deep breath, he raised his voice and interrupted, "Naomi! I'm here! Help!"

The Yellow Ocean Ranger suddenly froze in surprise upon seeing her father among the captives. Her face wrinkled in genuine fearful worry, as she saw a Nightmarcher silence him with a rough kick. "Dad? I... just hold on Dad! I'm coming!"

Kuta snarled and turned to Mujina, "Get these prisoners to the gathering point. The rest of us will hold the Rangers off."

The Green Lady nodded and opened a small portal with her repaired magic staff. She gestured for some of the Nightmarchers to begin moving prisoners through the portal to their next gathering point on the island. As she did, Captain Barbatos and Keneral Kuta drew up their own troops into a combined battle line, forming a blocking formation against the Rangers.

Desmond ignited his spear and charged forward, "All right! It's go time. Surf's up Rangers!"

As the other Ocean Rangers followed suit, Danny waved the older Rangers together and they moved to take on the Cambion troops, "Come on! Let's lend them a hand!"

Nick was the first to smash into the Magog line and sweep several of them away with a bone crushing blow of his warhammer while Kara swept in low around his strike, knifing through several more troops and moving like a blinding lightning bolt. Electricity crackled from her twin swords as she opened a path through the melee for Danny and Izzy to directly attack Captain Barbatos.

Nearby, the Ocean Rangers made a spirited push against Hine Nui's troops, trying to get to the civilians in time, Desmond, Cam, and Alex spearheaded the assault and cut through the first wave of Nightmarcher zombies to engage General Kuta head on. While the three began to tangle with the Benthic commander, Naomi split off leading David and Hannah on a continued charge toward the captives.

One by one, they saw civilians being pushed through the portal until Mujina knowingly grabbed Mr. Sato in a bluff. "That's far enough Yellow Ranger. Unless you ever want to see your father again."

Naomi froze a moment as the sudden paralyzing fear of losing her other parent gripped her, "I'm warning you Mujina!"

Mr. Sato momentarily wrestled free of the hag's grip and took a feeble swing with his fist, but the Green Lady dodged and clamped down hard on his throat, "Fine. If that's how you want to play it..."

The hag leapt through the portal with Mr. Sato in tow and closed it behind her, cackling the whole way. The troops under Mujina's command turned on the three Rangers, no longer concerned with guarding the remaining hostages.

"Oh crap, that's a lot of bad guys," David muttered as Hannah pulled an anguished Naomi back for a moment to regroup. "What now?"

David's question was immediately answered as a shrill almost bird-like cry was heard from high above. All the combatants in the park-turned-battlefield looked up to the skies and saw a large red griffin zord soaring overhead.

As Nick Adler threw aside a Magog minion, he glanced up with wide grin, "Heads up Ocean Rangers! The cavalry has finally arrived!"


	37. Mea po ino: Danger

**Episode 19: Part 1  
**

As the griffin zord passed overhead, a pair of angelic Vanguard Rangers swiftly dove down upon the battlefield like hunting birds pouncing upon their prey. Captain Barbatos's eyes grew wide in surprise as a female White Ranger swooped over the battle with her Keyrune, laying down an arctic sheet of paralyzing ice on the enemy troops. Right behind her, a male Red Ranger followed up and crisscrossed her pattern, spraying a searing jet of flames into the monsters' ranks. As they made another pass, the White Vanguard Ranger summoned her bright bow and strafed the foot soldiers with another punishing hail of deadly icy arrows.

"All right!" Hannah cheered giving a wave to their newly arrived allies, "Now that's what I call an air-strike!"

The Red and White Rangers swooped back around and touched down near their old teammates. The Red Vanguard Ranger summoned his straight saber sword and ignited it with elemental fire, "Sorry we're late everyone. We got here as fast as we could."

"Joe Hale, am I glad to see you," Danny sighed as he clapped his leader's shoulder and let him take command again, "We'll fill you in later, but we've got a little tag team throw-down going on right now."

The White Ranger glanced over and saw a pack of Magog and Nightmarcher troops regrouping to attack again. Turning to her own spouse, she gestured over toward the monsters, "Shall I? Or do you want to take this, dear?"

The Red Vanguard Ranger smiled and traced a bright sigil with his Keyrune, summoning a golden suit of armor and another pair of wings, "I've got this one Claire. Besides… I could use the practice."

The Ocean Rangers watched in awe as the enhanced Red Vanguard Ranger surged forward and tore into the combined might of the Magogs and Nightmarchers. The air rippled with heat as Joe slashed his way through the foot soldiers with the grace and precision of a veteran swordsman. As he tumbled through the melee and parried aside stray blows, he spread his four wings, using them as offensive weapons to batter the last of the enemies aside.

"Wow!" Alex cheered as she shoved General Kuta away for a moment, "What a way to make an entrance!"

"I know, right? I've gotta find me some snazzy armor like that too!" Desmond added with an awestruck laugh.

Seeing their forces fall into disarray before the Red Vanguard Ranger, General Kuta waved the survivors over, "Fall back! We got what we came for!"

The mollusk warrior opened his maw and sprayed a dark inky cloud of smoke that blanketed his immediate surroundings allowing the Benthic-Cambion forces to retreat. As the smoke cleared and the adrenaline of battle tapered off, the two teams of Rangers powered down and gathered around their newest arrivals. Danny was the first to put an affectionate arm over Claire, a petite Chinese-American woman with glasses, "Hey! Long time no see. What's up, Doc?"

Like David, Claire (Li) Hale was a medical doctor by profession and she gave a gentle eye roll before returning the hug with a smile. "Nice to see you again Danny. Even if your wedding was less than a week ago."

Nearby, Joe Hale was greeted warmly with a hug from Izzy and another bearhug from his best friend Nick. As he stepped away from his old team for a moment, he turned to address the Ocean Rangers. Even in his college days, Hale had never had any particularly striking or patrician features, but now that he was older and more experienced, he carried a strong aura of calm but refined authority about him. Whether it was more from his ancient connection to the great Archangel Auriel, or the wisdom of being a veteran Red Ranger, it was hard to tell.

"Ocean Rangers, it's good to finally meet you," he began with a smile, "Danny gave me the basics about what was going on here so just know that we're here and ready to help in any way."

Desmond stepped forward and shook hands with his older counterpart while giving a reverent bow of the head, "Thanks Mr. Hale… uh, sir. We really appreciate it. I'm sure you already saw that things are getting a little crazy here."

Desmond was interrupted as he heard Naomi trying to break free of Cam and Hannah, who had been gently restraining her, "We have to go! We have to hurry now! They have my Dad and God knows how many other people!"

"Naomi please, you have to calm down!" Hannah urged her, "We need to take a breath and just sort everything out right now."

Joe nodded and glanced toward the small crowd of shaken people who had almost been taken prisoner, "Right. First thing's first. Claire, Nick, and Izzy, go see to any of the injured. Kara and Danny, I want you both to do a quick sweep of the area to make sure it's safe."

As the other Vanguard Rangers nodded and went to work, David stepped forward and headed toward the civilians, "I'm a doctor. I'll help with the injured too."

While David went to help Claire, Joe turned to Desmond with a grimace, "It's too bad we couldn't meet under better circumstances. Do you have any suggestions about what to do for the hostages that were taken?"

"I'm afraid not," Desmond sighed, "But once we're done here, I'll take you to someone who might."

* * *

Later that day, both teams of Vanguard and Ocean Rangers assembled at Ocean Point temple to confer with the great tiki Kanohi. Now it was time for the visiting Vanguard Rangers to stand in awe, marveling at the temple ruins and the mystical kahuna before them.

"Welcome to Hawaii Vanguard Rangers," the tiki said gravely in a deep voice, "I'm sorry you've been dragged into our conflict with the sea witch Hine Nui. She will stop at nothing to overrun these islands and reestablish her power over the oceans."

"All the more reason for us to assist your Rangers then," Joe answered solemnly. "Besides, we'd be pretty crummy Power Rangers if we didn't."

After a pause, David stepped forward, "Kanohi, I was thinking… our enemies are likely performing a ritual to summon a terrible sea monster… one the Vanguard Rangers called Leviathan. Why would they be taking human prisoners? Is there some kind of… blood sacrifice that is part of the ritual?"

Kanohi pondered the question for a long moment, his glowing eyes flickering with magical fire before speaking again. "No. If Hine Nui is using the kind of spell that I think she is, then she requires something physical from the subject being called, such as hair or skin. Ultimately the spell is supposed to be dispersed into the water and attract the beast that way."

Hannah furrowed her own brow in thought, "But why the people then? Is Hine Nui trying to lure us in by taking hostages?"

The Rangers fell silent before Claire gave a hesitant look and adjusted her own glasses, "It's possible... but maybe it's not to lure us in… perhaps it's a lure for the monster instead."

"Hold the phone… you mean like the bait at the end of a giant fishing hook?" Desmond exclaimed in shock, "Those people are going to be monster chow?"

Naomi's face blanched and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach, "Then what are we waiting for? We have to find out where the people are being held!"

"The question is, how?" Danny muttered crossing his arms, "No doubt they're going to be herded onto the coastline, but it's still a big island. We could maybe split up and start flying along the coast?"

Alex grimaced and thought of her brother Isaac, "We're kinda short on both time and manpower. Unless there was some way for the Navy and Air Force to lend a hand…"

At that moment, Cam felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out, seeing that it was a call from Captain Ramos. He shot the others an apologetic look and gestured toward a corner of the temple ruins, "Excuse me everyone… I really need to take this."

As he stepped aside to take the call, the others gathered back around Kanohi. After a few minutes of quietly chatting amongst each other, the Blue Ocean Ranger returned to the meeting and put his phone away while gesturing for the others to pay attention. As he spoke, Cam wore a grave expression, "Well guys… that was the Navy. Captain Ramos just said that the Fleet detected this Leviathan thing again. It's close and it's on a definite crash course with Oahu."

"Do they know where Leviathan is going to land?" Naomi asked desperately.

The Blue Ranger nodded, "Somewhere on the southeast tip of the island. Maybe around Hanauma Bay… but it's just a ballpark guess. Ramos said he's leading a small naval task force there to intercept the monster right now."

Desmond nodded and cracked his knuckle, "If that's the case, I'm willing to bet the prisoners will be there too. Looks like it's time for us to mount a good old fashioned rescue operation."

He glanced to the Red Vanguard Ranger and gave a sheepish look, 'Err… sorry, I didn't mean to step on any toes. What do you think?"

Joe gave a gentle smile to his eager young counterpart, "It's a good idea, but we'll have to be smart about it. First priority will still be getting the civilians clear and keeping the Navy forces from any direct harm."

Alex gave a quick look to Kanohi before turning the Red Vanguard Ranger, "Will you be leading this attack?"

Joe smiled and shook his head before Kara spoke, "Actually, we figured you could take point on this one. This is your home island and the stakes are personal for you."

Izzy stepped forward and put a reassuring hand on the Yellow Ranger's shoulder, "Don't worry Naomi. I promise you we'll do everything we can to rescue your father and all the other people too."

"All right. Then it's settled," Desmond nodded to all his new allies, "Let's regroup and head for Hanauma Bay."

As the twelve heroes adjourned their meeting, and left the temple ruins, they prepared to head back out into their next great battle... a battle in which no one was quite certain about what to expect either. While the Vanguard Rangers were fighting some familiar enemies, they were still in a strange new environment and unfamiliar with the terrain.

Instead of the familiar mountains and flat plains around Hyperion Falls, Hawaii offered its own surprises in the form of wild jungles and unpredictable coastlines. Similarly, the Ocean Rangers were fighting in their own environment, but the new Cambion enemies were ones who still had very different fighting styles and approaches toward battle. Now more than ever, it would be important for the two teams to rely on each other and complement their advantages too.

* * *

Some time later, the joint Cambion-Benthic forces assembled on the coastline of Hanauma Bay. As it was part of a lush nature preserve area, the distinct ring-shaped bay served as a secluded point for Hine Nui's servants to welcome the great sea beast onto the island. While General Kuta and Captain Barbatos kept their small crowd of abducted prisoners corralled with their troops, Mujina made herself busy with a large glass decanter containing a glowing green liquid.

The concoction created to attract Leviathan had been brewed by Hine Nui and was now ready to be tested. From where he was sitting and watching beside a few other miserable prisoners, Mr. Sato watched as Mujina chanted a few words in a foul sounding language and poured the magical liquid into the waters of the bay.

After a minute or two of silence, Barbatos turned to Kuta, "Did it work? Where is Leviathan?"

The mollusk warrior snorted, "Give it time. My Queen's spells always work. What we should concern ourselves with, is if this will be enough to appease that beast's hunger when it arrives."

As he spoke, the swamp hag Mujina returned to the two and crossed her arms, "It's been done. Now all we have to do... is wait. It's not like these human sheep here will be going anywhere either."

"That's where you're wrong swamp thing," a defiant voice called out, causing the villains to all turn in unison. As they did, they spotted twelve unmorphed Power Rangers walking up the beach to confront their enemies. "Those human sheep will be coming with us," Desmond announced standing front and center of the combined formation.

Kuta sneered and began to laugh, "You must be joking Red Ranger. You're far too late. There's no way you will be able to stop Leviathan from being summoned. He's already been called and he's going to eat these humans prisoners."

"Then I guess we'll have to take care of this quickly," Joe called, "Unless you'd like to offer yourself up as an appetizer for Leviathan instead."

Barbatos stepped beside Hine Nui's generals and drew his weapon addressing the Vanguard team, "Go back home Red Ranger. You have no business being here. This is not your fight."

"The hell it is," Alex interjected as she cracked her knuckles, "If you're helping our enemy Hine Nui, then you're going to get your demon butt kicked just like everyone else."

Nearby, Desmond saw Naomi clench her fists toward where the prisoners were being fenced in by several monster foot soldiers. Under her breath, the Yellow Ranger murmured quietly, "Hang on Dad... I won't let you down now."

Giving a nod, Desmond raised his Ocean Bracer, "Ok everyone, these monsters don't seem to know who they're dealing with. I think it's time we got their attention."

As the other Ocean Rangers followed suit, the Vanguard Rangers produced their Keyrunes and raised them up. At once, the two teams simultaneous cried out their morphing calls as they were enveloped in bright colorful light, "Point Break! / Vanguard Ascend!"

 _"Fierce as the Raging Volcanoes, Red Ocean Ranger"_  
 _"Steady as the Surging Tides, Blue Ocean Ranger"_  
 _"Free as the Howling Winds, Yellow Ocean Ranger"_  
 _"Vibrant as the Verdant Earth, Green Ocean Ranger"_  
 _"Bright as the Shining Sunlight, Pink Ocean Ranger"_  
 _"Fearless as the Coming Dawn, Orange Ocean Ranger"_

 _"The Radiant Torch, Vanguard Red!"_  
 _"The Swirling Tempest, Vanguard Blue!"_  
 _"The Rumbling Mountain, Vanguard Green!"_  
 _"The Stinging Blizzard, Vanguard White!"_  
 _"The Dancing Whirlwind, Vanguard Pink!"_  
 _"The Surging Thunderbolt, Vanguard Gold!"_

 _"The Light of the Past, and the Hope of the Future!"_ the angelic Rangers chorused together amid a radiant nimbus of light.

At the forefront of the charge, the Ocean Rangers grouped together and summoned their weapons amid a colorful splash of watery light, _"Riding the Waves to Victory!"_

As Joe gave a nod to Desmond, the Red Ocean Ranger leveled his spear toward the three enemy commanders and their squads of enemy foot soldiers, "They're not going to stop this wave! Let's wipe them out everyone!"

Following his charge, the combined twelve Rangers surged forward, hoping to defeat the enemy and rescue the hostages before an even bigger problem could surface.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Hey readers, sorry for the little delay! I've been on Best Man duty for a big wedding this past weekend. Once I catch up on some sleep, I'll be updating again soon and finish the next few crossover chapters. Thanks for your patience!**


	38. Luapo'i: Prey

**Episode 19: Part 2  
**

The loud sounds of fierce battle cries and ringing steel echoed across the beaches of Hanauma Bay as the combined might of the Ocean and Vanguard Rangers clashed against the Cambion-Benthic monsters. As the Ocean Rangers led the charge, the Vanguard Rangers took winged leaps from behind and changed formation to assist their own colored counterpart.

Desmond and Joe were the first ones to clash against General Kuta and force him back with an aggressive flurry of attacks from their flaming weapons. While Desmond kept the mollusk warrior on the defensive with fierce spear thrusts, Joe circled around with his saber and protected his ally by parrying aside Kuta's counter attacks. As the two Rangers locked weapons again with Kuta, they both turned the polearm aside and tumbled away allowing Alex and Izzy to leap and make a combined surprise attack. Kuta snarled as Alex's punch blinded his sensitive eyes with a flash of light before Izzy swept him aside with a gust of wind. While the Red Rangers raised their guards again, both Pink Rangers took a moment to smile and exchange a little fist bump.

Nearby, Kara and Hannah moved together to dodge a spray of fireballs from Captain Barbatos's outstretched hand. As they neared, Hannah lashed out her whip blade to catch the Cambion's leg and cause him to stumble for a moment. Having dropped his guard for just a moment, Kara surged forward and delivered a punishing slash with her electrically charged scimitar. Like lightning, she pushed aside the Cambion's weapon arm allowing Hannah to follow up and attack with a slash of her own before hooking the demon's arm and tossing him to the sands.

As Barbatos rolled over and groaned for a moment, Kara glanced to the Orange Ranger and gave a friendly nod, "I like your weapon. Maybe I can give it a try later on?"

"Only if you teach me to dual wield weapons too,' Hannah laughed while taking a ready stance again.

Meanwhile, Cam and Danny moved to block Mujina, keeping her busy with whirling spear strikes and sword blows. While they distracted the swamp hag, David and Nick cleared a way though the hoard of Magogs and Nightmarchers. Using their big blunt weapons and great strength, both Green Rangers swept aside several troops with each swing of their warhammer and club. As they cleared a path, Nick called over to David, "You ready to bury these guys?"

"Just follow my lead!" the doctor replied raising his Ocean Bracer to manipulate the earth around him. To the enemy foot soldiers' surprise, the sands beneath them began to shift and churn, forcing them to lose their balance and stumble over their own feet.

Nick nodded and raised his own Keyrune drawing on his power to call up a tall spiral of earth and sand that David and primed. The enemy troops simply watched in dumb horror as the wave of earth and sand came back down and flattened many of them like a giant sledgehammer. David could only laugh and nod with approval as Nick turned back around and gave a thumbs up, "Nice teamwork there Doc!"

As the Green Rangers thinned the ranks of enemy troops, Naomi and Claire used the opportunity to make a beeline for the hostages still on the beach. The White Ranger led the charge gunning down enemies in their way with her blaster pistol while Naomi batted aside the stragglers with her twin hand clubs. While they continued to advance, Naomi panted, "You know Claire... I've gotta admit, I've never actually seen natural snow and ice before."

"Oh it's great," Claire replied kicking aside a Magog and blasting aside two Nightmarchers, "You can do all sorts of great things with it... like this!"

Claire immediately pulled her Keyrune and turned a patch of sand into a sheet of ice causing several troops to slip and fall. As they hit the ground, Claire gave a another wave of her artifact and the sheet of ice enveloped the enemies, flash freezing them in place. "Go Naomi! Save the prisoners!"

The Yellow Ranger sprinted forward past the frozen enemies until she reached a small crowd of people tied together at the edge of a small promontory located near the edge of the bay. Using one of her serrated clubs, she cut the thick ropes that bound the prisoners together and immediately freed them. She could see the tired, fearful, and grateful looks on the civilians' faces as she helped them rise and pointed inland, "You're free everyone! Hurry! Get back inland and run to safety!"

As the small crowd dispersed, one last figure remained. Mr. Sato rose and put his arms around his daughter, "Naomi! Thank goodness! I knew you'd come!"

"It's ok Dad... I'm here..." she said hugging him back in relief. After a moment, she let go and looked to him gravely, "It's not safe here. You have to get out of here!"

Mr. Sato began to protest when all of a sudden, the swamp hag Mujina turned and spotted them, realizing that the prisoners had all gotten lose and escaped. "No! How dare you!" she shrieked leveling her staff.

Before either of the Blue Rangers could respond, Mujina fired a powerful blast of green magic that swept the Yellow Ranger and her father over the side of the promontory and into the waters below.

"Oh crap!" Danny exclaimed as he looked around and did a quick mental calculation of the battlefield. He had to get past Mujina and there was only one quick way to do it. "Hey Cam! Grab my wrist and whatever you do, don't let go!"

Cam blinked in surprise as Danny grabbed his arm and summoned a pair of wings, "Wait... what?"

In an instant, Danny took off into the air with a startled Blue Ocean Ranger in tow. They both made a high leap over Mujina's head and landed near the edge of the waters where they could help. They dashed over toward the edge of the promontory, and saw Naomi putting her lifeguard skills to use, grabbing hold of her stunned father, and side-swimming back toward the shallows and the relative safety of the beach. As she neared and began hoisting him out from the water, Mujina gave another cruel laugh as she caught up, "I just can't get rid of you, can I? Well... try this!"

The hag leveled her staff and cast a dark spell causing wispy tentacle like appendages made of magic to erupt outward and try to strangle them. Being unable to protect herself, Naomi turned to shield her father and braced for a big hit when a great splash of watery energy sprayed in the air. Cam rushed over to defend Naomi and her Dad from harm, slashing furiously at the magic tentacles with his own charged blade. They both watched in surprise and gave impressed smiles as he took one more powered slash and destroyed the tentacles with a defiant shout.

Mujina snarled again and fired one more burst of cursed energy, this time catching the Blue Ocean Ranger off balance as he barely had time to raise his guard again. As Cam braced for the worst, he was surprised when he heard Danny give a shout, "Whitesteel, Armor on!"

In a flash, the Blue Vanguard Ranger had summoned a silver shield and armor down his shoulder. As Danny shielded his comrade, Mujina gave a surprised gasp as her spell reflected off the silver steel shield and came right back at her, blowing her backward up the beach line.

"You ok, kid?" Danny said clapping Cam on the shoulder.

Cam nodded in relief, "Yeah... thanks for the save Danny."

The two Blue Rangers turned back around and saw their other allies beginning to regroup around them as the remnants of the Nightmarchers and Magogs broke ranks and fled in fear. While the foot soldiers broke ranks, Naomi sent her father off toward the ocean bluffs to get to safety. From where he stood on the beach, Captain Barbatos furiously waved his sword in the air, trying in vain to rally what was left of his demonic minions, "Stand and fight you cowardly dogs! You are Cambion soldiers! Have you no pride?"

"I think they've got functioning brains," Claire called out in an unusually confident challenge, "Which is more than I can say for you."

Barbatos gritted his teeth as he began to march quickly toward the Rangers. "Fine then! I'll take you out by myself."

Joe shook his head and nodded to the other Vanguard Rangers prompting them to summon their combined weapon, a large angelic crossbow: the Radiant Arbalest. The Ocean Rangers stood back as the veterans grouped together to and braced themselves. As Barbatos picked up steam and began to charge across the sands, Kara loaded the weapon with a crackling bolt of electricity and braced herself against the Red Ranger, "Ready!"

In unison, the Rangers fired their weapon together and the projectile became a searing bolt of divine thunder. The Ocean Rangers shielded their eyes from the bright flash of dazzling light as the bolt struck Barbatos full on and completely vaporized him into ash and brimstone.

Upon seeing their demon ally's demise, both Kuta and Mujina stood in momentary shock while the twelve Rangers turned their attention back on the two generals.

"Now… where were we?" Alex asked, hoping to raise her friends' fighting spirits with a little bit of bravado.

As she spoke, the skies began to grow darker and the waters around Hanauma Bay began to churn violently. At the edges of the water, a foggy mist began to rise and hinder visibility around the landscape. When she saw this, Mujina began to laugh, "It's too late Rangers! You're all too late! Leviathan is here!"

General Kuta stopped before he began to slowly smile as well, "You may have foiled our original plan… but once the sea serpent is done feasting upon you, then we will take control."

Mujina waved her staff enveloping the two generals in a blast of sand and allowing them to retreat to safety. After the two monsters disappeared, the twelve Rangers turned back toward the dark churning waters of the bay and saw the waters swell violently. For a moment, the Vanguard Rangers felt the same twinge of fear and dread as they recalled their first meeting with the monster back in Santa Barbara nine years ago.

Moments later, a large serpentine head resembling a dragon emerged from the water. It was covered in thick gray scales and began to rise like some monstrous pillar from the waves. As the colossal serpentine dragon ascended from the waters, the Ocean Rangers could see the burnt streaks and ugly scars covering its face where the Vanguard Rangers' megazords had wounded it almost a decade ago.

"What the hell is that thing?" Hannah murmured as she reached out and gripped Cam's arm in fear.

"Looks like Godzilla," David quipped softly while trying to make light of his own Japanese heritage, "Believe me… I would know."

As the titanic beast reared its head back, it let out a deafening roar of fury that sounded like thunder. The noise was so terrible; it startled the twelve Rangers and caused them to cover their ears from the piercing cry.

"So, Leviathan… we finally meet again…" Nick said gripping his hammer while trying to steel his own courage.

"What do we do now?" Desmond asked, still gaping in shock at the colossal sea serpent.

"We call the megazords," Claire answered while holding up her Keyrune, "Maybe we'll be able to put that dragon down for good this time."

Alex pulled out the coral whale whistle entrusted to her by the mermaid Maris, but she stopped and turned to Claire, "That monster is blocking up the whole entrance of the bay. How are we going to get to our zords when there's no clear path?"

The Pink Ranger's question was answered as a bright rocket streaked across the sky and struck the beast's head from behind, engulfing it in a fiery explosion. While the beast reeled, it snarled again in fury as the roar of some familiar sounding jet engines was heard above. To her complete surprise, Hannah glanced up and saw three F-16 fighter jets descend from the cloud cover and fire another volley of air-to-surface missiles at Leviathan. As destructive as the missiles were, Leviathan's scale armor was still too powerful, absorbing much of the heat and force of the explosive projectiles.

"No way!" Naomi called in surprise as the fighters roared by low overhead "The Air Force is getting in on this too?"

Hannah didn't pay any attention to Naomi. Instead, she stared in shock when she recognized the familiar paint patterns on the underside of one of the Fighting Falcons. It looked just like her father's plane.

Up above in the skies, Hannah's father Captain William Johnson glanced out the side canopy of his fighter plane as he made a steep banking turn, then leveled off. _"U.S.S. Poseidon, this is Razor-1. We have a visual on the target. Looks to be some giant sea snake, and it's heavily armored. Our missiles barely scratched it."_

From the other end of the radio, Captain Benjamin Ramos's voice was heard, _"Understood Razor-1. We're almost there. Keep a target lock on that monster so we can hit it with our own heavy weapons."_

 _"Roger that,"_ Captain Johnson replied as he made ready for another pass. _"Razor Squadron, you heard Captain Ramos. Let's keep that thing busy until the fleet arrives."_

From the beach, the Rangers watched as Captain Johnson and his two wingmen split off and flew another diversion pattern to confuse Leviathan. Hannah turned to Desmond and gripped his forearm, "Desmond, call the zords! I have to get up there and help! Please!"

The Red Ranger nodded and called upon the Rangers' royal conch shell. As he blew into it to summon the Ocean zords, Alex blew her own whistle to summon their allied killer whale zord Orca too.

Nearby, the Vanguard Rangers made ready to summon their own zords when Joe drew forth his Battlizer: Archangel Auriel's Trumpet. Izzy stopped and looked to him in surprise, "Uh, Joe? What are you doing?"

The Red Vanguard Ranger turned solemnly toward the colossal sea serpent watching as it thrashed violently in the waters of the bay, "Our zords will need time to form up. I'll buy everyone a minute while you guys put the zords together."

Claire stepped forward and took her husband's free hand with a reluctant sigh, "I really hate it when you do the suicidal hero thing... you know that?"

He smiled behind his visor and squeezed her hand back, "I love you too Claire. I promise I'll be careful. Now, everyone go!"

Danny nodded and led the others in summoning the Vanguard zords while their Red Ranger put the trumpet to his lips and blew a loud powerful note. From where the beast rose from the waters, Leviathan turned its head toward the sound of the trumpet. Amid the fighter jets buzzing from above and a slew of zords approaching, a fiery Seraphim war angel joined in the fray as the decisive battle of Hanauma Bay prepared to reach its climax.


	39. Ua Nalohia: In Deep

**Episode 20: Part 1  
**

The waters of the once peaceful Hanauma Bay churned violently as each of the Ocean Rangers used their bracelets to teleport through the water and mount up in their respective zords. While the Ocean Force Megazord assembled, the Vanguard zords followed suit, descending from the skies and fusing together. Not far behind, the large killer whale Orca erupted from the tides and converted into battle mode while Kara's large Pegasus zord appeared from the clouds with a belligerent whinny. Meanwhile, Hannah took control of her orange flying fish zord and rocketed into the skies to assist the F-16's in strafing Leviathan with their guns.

As she made a passing attack, she veered away as the Red Vanguard Ranger streaked upwards from the beach endowed in his most powerful form. The six winged war angel rocketed toward Leviathan leaving trails of flame and light behind him until he struck the titanic beast head on in the throat. Leviathan roared in fury as it was pushed back slightly and took another blow under the chin from the Seraphim.

As they watched the spectacle, one of the fighter pilots radioed Captain Johnson, "I'll be honest sir… I have no idea what's going on now. Flying fish, angels, and Power Ranger zords?"

Captain Johnson blinked in shock before nodding in agreement, "Stay focused Razor-2. Just be glad they're on our side… I think."

While the fighters regrouped into a holding pattern, they gasped in shock as the Seraphim struck one more powerful blow and darted away from the serpent's maw as it unleashed a ferocious jet of fire from its mouth. From where she sat in her cockpit, Hannah stared with wide eyes as Leviathan blew another jet of flame at the Red Ranger. The Seraphim veered away in an impressive aerial maneuver before flying alongside the Orange Ranger.

"Jesus! That thing can breathe fire too?" she exclaimed as Joe gestured toward the two assembled Megazords and broke away to rejoin his team.

The Orange Ranger nodded and steered her zord to join up with her own team, but not before opening a radio call to the fighter pilots, "Thanks for the help guys, but best you stay clear for now. We Rangers will handle this."

There was a long pause before the voice of Hannah's father came over her communicator, "Copy that, uh…Orange Leader… how did you get on our frequency?"

"That's not important right now Dad. Just stay out of range and be careful."

Captain Johnson blinked in surprise and wondered if he had heard that last message correctly. As Hannah silently bit her lip in her own cockpit, her father maneuvered his fighter clear of the bay, "Razor Squadron, let's get clear of the bay and let the Rangers take care of things. In the mean time, we'll cover the fleet's approach from the southern edge."

The Orange Ranger watched as the fighters peeled away before she flew back to join up with the Ocean Rangers. By now, four allied Megazords stood at the entrance of Hanauma Bay, facing down Leviathan.

As the serpent roared and breathed a withering blast of fire, the Vanguard Megazord raised its manta ray shield and blocked the wave while the Pegasus and Orca zords returned fire with their own blaster weapons. Amid the smoke, the Ocean Force Megazord charged forward with its swordfish blade and struck a glancing blow along the serpent's body.

"Take that!" Desmond shouted as Leviathan screeched and reared up around them like a snake encircling its prey.

"Uh oh… not good," David exclaimed realizing their precarious position, "Desmond, we have to get clear!"

Before he could speak another word, the monster flicked its giant tail and swatted the Megazord down, knocking it sideways into the water. As Leviathan loomed over the downed Megazord, it reared up its head to bite down on its prey until the Vanguard Megazord tackled it from the side and began trying to grapple its mouth shut.

"Hold on Ocean Rangers, we've got you covered!" Nick called as the beast thrashed violently against the Vanguard zords. After struggling for a long minute, Leviathan wiggled loose and knocked the Vanguard Megazord down with a powerful headbutt

Seeing her friends in trouble, Kara growled and moved her zord to advance with Orca until Leviathan opened its maw and spat another cloud of fire. The fireblast boiled the water around it and threw both auxiliary zords violently into the surf. While the two struggled to rise, both the Ocean Force and Vanguard Megazords were decked again by a savage tail swipe from the serpent.

"This is looking bad. We're getting beat here," Naomi murmured in dread while Desmond furiously worked his own controls.

"Come on everyone, there's got to be a way. We just have to get up again."

* * *

The Rangers and their zords received a sudden change in fortune when a pair of large cruise missiles struck the sea monster and exploded in a violent fireball causing Leviathan to writhe in pain. At that moment, all the Rangers looked east toward the far edge of the bay where a small fleet of Navy warships rounded the bend. In the lead was a cruiser escorted by five destroyers.

As Mr. Johnson and his wingmen roared by overhead while helping to target the monster, the Navy ships unleashed a withering volley of heavy rocket fire and large caliber cannon rounds. As the ordnance erupted over Leviathan, the Rangers' zords all rose to their feet watching the firestorm, rake the beast and sear its scales. Within the Ocean Force Megazord, Cam pumped his fist and laughed with a giddy cheer, "Hell yeah! Way to go Ramos!"

A few miles off on the bridge of the cruiser Poseidon, Petty Officer Isaac Coach kept an eye on the long range sensors and watched as Leviathan fell in the water, momentarily stunned by the fierce barrage of the fleet. He turned toward Captain Ramos who stood watching Hanauma Bay with a stony face. "Captain, the sea snake is down. It looks like we may have injured it."

Ramos's jaw tightened and he nodded, "Good. Signal the rest of the fleet, standby all weapons and hold fire."  
"Sir?" Isaac asked in confusion, "We aren't going to try and kill that thing?"

Ramos shook his head gently, "No, we can't. The Rangers have the right weapons to do that. All we can do is provide some covering fire when they need it. The rest is up to them."

Back in the Ocean Force Megazord, David scanned the battlefield and saw a smoldering Leviathan slowly raise its head back from the waters. The intense naval bombardment had caused some damage and scorch marks to the beast, but it still looked like it had plenty of fight left in it. "We need a new plan. Ramos just bought us some time to regroup, but we'll need more power."

"How are we going to do that?" Desmond asked, "We could barely get near that monster."

Just then, the Ocean Rangers heard Kara over their communication line, "Leave that one to us. Joe, you know what we've got to do..."

The Ocean Rangers watched in awe as the Vanguard Megazord reconfigured itself and fused itself with Kara's pegasus taking on an impressive new appearance. Towering over the waters, the combined zord resembled that of the ancient hussars, cavalry lancers from eastern Europe who wore plate armor with stylized wings on their back. The mounted Megazord detached the wings to use as dual swords and charged forward to engage Leviathan.

"Whoah! That is so cool!" Alex grinned before looking at the coral whale whistle in her hand, "You don't suppose we could maybe do the same thing with Orca... do you? Maybe form a bigger stronger zord?"

"It's worth a shot," Desmond shrugged, "What do we have to lose? Go for it."

The Pink Ocean Ranger blew the whistle again and the killer whale zord turned seemed to give a gesture of understanding. From where the Rangers sat, they watched as Orca reconfigured and began to disassemble itself into component parts. They continued watching in amazement as the parts of the killer whale fused with the Ocean Force Megazord, providing it with sleek heavier armor plating, and stabilizing fins on its back and sides, perfect for deep sea underwater dives.

"Awesome! This looks like just what we need," Naomi cheered while giving Alex a high five.

Desmond nodded in agreement and pushed his controls forward, "All right, let's help the Vanguard Rangers out. Maybe two super Megazords will do the trick now."

While the mounted Vanguard Megazord reared up and struck a few blows against Leviathan, the sea serpent lashed out with its teeth trying to crush the veteran Rangers. The Megazord stopped Leviathan's bite attack and caught its blades in the beast's teeth, struggling to keep the mouth open. As they struggled, the Vanguard Rangers saw Leviathan ready another breath attack at point blank range. Claire's eyes went wide in sudden realization, "Oh no... not good..."

Moments later, Leviathan was pulled violently back underwater as the Ocean Rangers' Megazord descended into the deeper waters of the bay and caught the serpent's tail. As they gave it a pull, Leviathan was dragged down underneath the surface of the waters, saving the Vanguard Megazord.

Amid a storm of bubbles and churning water, Leviathan bellowed in fury and began coiling itself around the Ocean Force Megazord, in an attempt to pin it and crush it at the same time.

"Well... that didn't work out as well as we hoped," Cam grunted while working his controls to struggle against Leviathan, "Any more ideas?"

Hannah glanced about desperately amid the struggle and noticed a line of scales around Leviathan's neck that had been shattered from all the prior punishment. "I've got one. We double team the sea snake's neck. There's an opening there now. Look!"

Desmond glanced up and saw the spot the Orange Ranger had pointed out, "Awesome! Nice eyes Hannah. Vanguard Rangers, we need you to make a passing slash on Leviathan when we surface."

After a moment, Joe's voice replied over their comm, "Ready when you are."

Desmond turned to Alex, prompting her to work the killer whale's diving controls, "Going up?"

In an instant, the tangled Ocean Force Megazord quickly rose to the surface of the water dragging Leviathan with it. As Leviathan's head surfaced, the Vanguard Megazord charged by and landed an earth splitting blow on the weakened neck of the sea serpent causing it to spasm and give another wounded cry.

"Now is our chance!" David urged the others pointing as several more armor scales fell away from Leviathan's neck, "We've got a clear shot!"

"Let's not waste it then!" Desmond replied as their Megazord charged forward recalling its swordfish blade for a finishing strike. Everyone in Hanauma Bay held their breath as the Ocean Force Megazord brought its charged blade around for one final blow. The bright blade struck true and cleft deep into the exposed neck of the sea serpent. To everyone's amazement, the blade penetrated all the way and in one final motion, Leviathan's head was severed from the rest of its body in a cloud of gore.

"All right!" Izzy cried in excitement while the other Vanguard Rangers watched in stunned joy at the sight of the titanic monster collapsing back to the waters.

"Whoah! I can't believe it! We did it!" Alex exclaimed in joy as she jumped from her seat and threw her arms over David's neck in celebration beside her. While the Green Ranger stammered in surprise, Cam opened a direct channel to Captain Ramos.

On the bridge of the cruiser Poseidon Captain Ramos watched as Leviathan toppled over into the water and the Megazords began to move off. After a moment, the cruiser's radio operator turned to Ramos with a puzzled look, "Captain, there's an incoming transmission… from one of the Power Rangers? He said he needed to speak to you."

Ramos nodded and the communications officer handed him a phone. It was Cameron.

"Captain, this is Lieutenant Monroe. Leviathan has been neutralized. I repeat, Leviathan has been neutralized."

The old captain gave a smile and nodded his head, "Very good. I think it's best that you and the others withdraw from the bay. We'll handle the cleanup and recovery from here."

"Aye aye sir… and thanks for the help back there. The fleet really helped save our necks today."

Ramos smiled and lowered his voice, "Just doing our job... just as you were doing yours. Nice work today Lieutenant."

From nearby, Isaac Coach glanced over from his console and raised a curious eyebrow before getting back to work.

As Cam cut the radio contact from the fleet, Desmond watched as the waters of Hanauma Bay began to settle down and the skies above began to clear. As he sat back in his chair in relief, he sighed, "Nice work everyone. I don't think Hine Nui is going to be bothering us for a while… or those Cambion demons either."

Up above, Captain Johnson led the three F-16 fighters around for one more flyover before turning back toward Pearl Harbor. Hannah smiled to herself as she watched her dad fly home before glancing out over the bay. In the near distance, Ramos's squadron of Navy warships approached to secure the area.

"I think we should probably head home," David suggested, "Looks like the military will be able to take it from here."

Beside the Ocean Rangers, the Vanguard Megazord dismounted from the Pegasus zord and turned toward them. A moment later, the Ocean Rangers heard Joe's voice, "Sounds like a good plan… especially if you'd like to make it a friendly race back to the beach house?"

Desmond looked in surprise as the Vanguard Megazord spread its own wings, and he began to smile, "All right… let's see if your old bucket can fly as fast as we can swim."

As the Vanguard Megazord took off, Desmond steered them into the deep waters and turned on the underwater jets of Orca to launch them like a giant torpedo.

While the others began to laugh, David gripped on to his controls for deal life and shook his head, uncomfortable with the thought of being so deep underwater "Oh geez… why do I even open my mouth sometimes…"

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Hey all! I'll be tying things up with one more short chapter before the Vanguard Rangers head home. Just a quick heads up, I'll be starting the series second half with a little slice-of-life / breather episode before we get into the next major story arc. There's sure to be a little bit of everything like drama, romance, and maybe a little bit of humor thrown in too. Thanks for reading and staying with this series everyone! You guys are the best!**


	40. Mele Kalikimaka: Merry Christmas

**Episode 20: Part 2  
**

It had been one day since the climactic battle with the giant sea monster Leviathan and both teams of Ocean and Vanguard Rangers lounged about in the outdoor patio of the Silver Marlin restaurant which overlooked the beach. Nearby, a mounted television could be heard from inside the main dining room giving a news report about the activities around Hanauma Bay yesterday. While rescued civilians gave their statements for interviews, no mention was made of Leviathan. It was said that shortly after the Power Rangers had shown up, the military arrived to simply conduct some scheduled weapons tests offshore... all of it coincidental, of course.

Still, the fact that those details were swept under the rug didn't seem to bother the Rangers at all. They were all exhausted from their trips to the island and the stresses of the constant battles. As if reading their thoughts, Bailey Hampshire walked out of the kitchen and laid out some fresh plates of Asian style food along with a pitcher of pineapple juice for the new guests. When she heard more Rangers from the mainland had come to visit, she decided to help her friends to properly welcome them.

While he poured himself a glass of juice, Joe Hale sat back in his chair and looked about at the colorful Christmas lights and decorations strewn up around the restaurant patio. Even now, it still just seemed odd seeing Christmas decor when it was a hot sunny day in Honolulu. "You know, it's funny. You'd almost forget that Christmas is coming up in a few days. Back in Hyperion Falls, it was barely twenty degrees and snowing outside when I left."

Beside him, Claire laid her hand over his and patted it with a smile. "I know what you mean sweetheart. I really miss the snow too."

It was true that his wife admittedly loved snow and winter, but the Red Vanguard Ranger gave a gentle eye roll, unsure of whether Claire was really being serious at the moment or just being a playfully sarcastic.

"Honestly, I could care less about Christmas right now," Danny sighed as he sampled some of the food, "We've already burned three vacation days and I already made all kinds of great honeymoon plans for Izzy and I."

The Pink Vanguard Ranger gave a warm smile and gently rubbed his arm, "That's ok mi amor, we still have plenty of time to catch up. Besides, it was fun getting back into action and making some new friends here, don't you think?"

Danny shrugged and nodded, "Well, sure... and I guess we still have about three more days left here. After we eat, what would you like to do when we get back to our hotel today Iz?"

She gave a suggestive smile and whispered something in his ear causing him to perk up slightly and widen his eyes, "Oh... well... yeah, I think that can be arranged."

Sitting across the table from them, Desmond and Naomi exchanged a knowing glance and began to laugh before Bailey passed them another plate of food to keep them quiet.

Meanwhile, Nick and David stood off to the edge of the patio having an animated discussion about various plant species they had been studying. As they showed each other pictures on their smart phones, they began having an almost scientific debate on which kind of plant crossed best with another.

At the other end of the table, Kara, Hannah, Alex, and Cam sat eating some food while the Orange Ranger continued to tell her friends about her own situation, "I can't believe I almost blew my cover during the battle yesterday, you know? I'm just glad I was able to get home in time before my Dad and pretend that everything was normal."

"Your father didn't actually find out about you being a Ranger or make mention of it, did he?" Kara asked curiously.

The teen shook her head, "Not exactly. He was already really tired and stressed out... but he asked me a lot of questions about where I was yesterday and who I was with... so I said you guys."

"And we'll totally lie for you too," Alex winked giving her friend a nudge.

Hannah shrugged, "I'm actually planning on going home to be with them later today... you know, so they don't get suspicious. As long as I don't slip up again, I'm sure Dad will probably just chalk it up to the G-forces making him hear things."

Back toward the head of the table, Desmond and Naomi continued chatting with Joe and Claire over brunch. As the Rangers finished their meal, Naomi scratched her chin curiously, "So... what are you two planning to do now?"

Claire grimaced, "Well, we should probably start heading back to Hyperion Falls soon. There's still a lot of work to do back at the hospital and..."

"Actually, I was thinking we could both call in and stay for a couple days more," Joe interrupted her gently with a smile, "Maybe rent a hotel... enjoy the sights? We could even ask Desmond to show us around, if he's willing. After all, we are here in Hawaii, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Desmond grinned, "Get some sun, hit the surf, hang loose... you know? Count me in!"

Claire blinked for a moment before giving a thoughtful nod, "Well... it would be nice to take some time off work... and maybe find a little romantic getaway spot?"

"Great! So you're on board?" Joe smiled putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Sure. Why not?" Claire winked, "Maybe we could follow Danny and Izzy's lead and make a second little honeymoon of it too."

As she listened to Joe and Claire make plans to take an extended vacation, Kara gave a thoughtful look before putting down her utensils and rising from the table. While the two Green Rangers continued to talk and laugh with each other, Kara strode over and tapped Nick on the shoulder wearing a slightly uneasy expression.

He turned and gave a slightly puzzled look, "Kara… is everything ok?"

"I want to go sightseeing later," she said abruptly, "You'll come with me?"

David folded his arms and gave his counterpart an amused look while Nick frowned in confusion, "Huh? I guess so. Sure… just you and me though?"

Kara put her hands on her hips trying to sound nonchalant, "Of course, you dolt. Our other teammates are going to be busy doing married people things… so, uh, why not?"

Nick shot David a sidelong glance before turning back to Kara, "Wait... this isn't like, a date or anything, is it?"

The Gold Ranger frowned in deep thought before nodding, "I've learned and experienced a lot of new things about the modern age. I think I'd like to try going on another date."

Nick stood speechless while David smiled toward the half-angelic Ranger, "Really? You've been on a date before?"

Kara nodded with a serious face, "Yes, with Izzy. At least, I think it was…"

David's eyes went wide in surprise prompting Kara to continue, "Back in college, she and I went to a nice French restaurant one night to spy on Danny and…"

Nick quickly put a hand over her mouth and began pulling her along, "Oh for crying out loud Kara, that didn't count! Tell you what, I'll go if it'll shut you up and keep you from embarrassing all of us, ok?"

As he watched Nick lead Kara inside, David couldn't help but smile and laugh at the absurdity of it. It was reassuring for David to know that his was not the only team fraught with sexual tension and laughably odd moments too. Still, he was enjoying hanging out with fellow Rangers closer to his own age and looking forward to having them stay a few more days before Christmas. For now anyways, it was looking like Honolulu would be one of the safest cities in the US… at least for a couple more days.

* * *

A few days passed and the Ocean Rangers met on the beaches behind Naomi's house to say goodbye to their new friends on Christmas Eve. By now, the Vanguard Rangers were all looking a little more tanned and relaxed while the Red Griffin and Pegasus zords waited patiently in the shallow waters. Desmond was the first to extend a hand to his counterpart while giving a smile, "Thanks again for everything Joe. I hope you had some fun here in Hawaii and I'm glad we got to meet you guys."

Joe chuckled and returned the handshake, "Likewise Desmond. We can tell the islands will be in good hands."

Meanwhile, David and Nick shook hands again and shared another laugh while exchanging email addresses. As she watched, Hannah couldn't help but laugh, "Wow, looks like those two really hit it off. You sure you'll be able to keep Nick in line?"

Kara gave the young Orange Ranger a faint smile, "I cannot make any promises, but I'll certainly try."

To Hannah's surprise, the normally stoic Gold Ranger extended her knuckles for a little fist bump which the teen reciprocated with a laugh.

As the Red, White, Green, and Gold Vanguard Rangers said their final goodbyes, Claire stopped when she came to Alex and noticed she looked a little down. The White Ranger put a gentle hand on her new friend's shoulder, "What's wrong Alex? You look a little sad."

Alex gave a smile and shrugged slightly, "Sorry, I was just thinking… you guys will be going home to the mainland to celebrate Christmas and there will probably be a lot of snow back in Hyperion Falls, right?"

"Probably. I take it you like winter too?"

Alex nodded, "Totally! Christmas is my favorite holiday and I was just got to thinking about how I missed the kind of snows we got back home in Minnesota."

Claire tapped her chin and gave a thoughtful smile before pulling out her Keyrune. To everyone's amazement, she channeled a little bit of elemental power to cause the skies around the beach house to cloud up and sprinkle a little bit of snow.

"I'm afraid that's the best I can do here in the tropics," the White Ranger laughed before Alex gave her a grateful little hug goodbye.

As the four departed and the flying zords took off into the skies, Danny and Izzy stayed behind on the beach with the Ocean Rangers waving to their friends. Their flight home wasn't leaving until after the holiday so the two weren't in any particular rush either.

After seeing off their new Ranger friends, Cam stayed behind, silently looking out over the waters as Claire's mini snowfall spell tapered off. He was pulled from his reverie when he felt a gentle poke in the arm. It was Hannah.

"Hey Cam, I was going to go home and stay with my folks for the next couple days. Could I maybe get a lift to Pearl Harbor if you're headed back that way? Pretty please?"

He nodded slowly and put a friendly arm around her shoulder as they walked, "Yeah, sure thing… but on one condition. I get your opinion on something."

Hannah tilted her head curiously, "Ok… shoot."

"How good are you at getting Christmas gifts?"

* * *

That evening, Cam returned home late carrying a bag of items. By now, night had fallen and the colorful Christmas lights strewn up around the beach house glowed with gentle light. As the Blue Ranger quietly padded into the living room, he noticed the house was quiet, except for the television playing an old black and white movie of The Christmas Carol. On the couch, Cam spotted Desmond, half asleep while Bailey curled up beside him, sleeping quietly.

"Hey, I was wondering when you were getting home," Desmond yawned keeping his voice low, "It was getting late. Everything ok?"

Cam nodded as he headed into the kitchen and set his bag down on the table, "Yeah Desmond, everything is fine. I was just doing some last minute Christmas shopping after dropping Hannah off. With everything going on lately… well, I kinda put it off."

Desmond gently pried Bailey off of him and put a blanket over her sleeping form before getting up from the couch to join his housemate in the kitchen. "So… what did you get me?"

"Really? You can't just wait a few hours or let me wrap it first?"

Desmond shrugged with a good natured grin, "I promise I can act surprised tomorrow."

Cam rolled his eyes with a gentle sigh before reaching in the bag and handing Desmond a small fisherman's tacklebox, " _Mele Kalikimaka_ (Merry Christmas) bro."

"Sweet! Thanks!" Desmond said in excitement while looking the box over. While he did, the Blue Ranger looked around, "Hey, uh… Naomi's not home, is she?"

The Red Ranger shook his head, "Nah. She told me she was going to be spending the rest of the week back at home with her Dad and Leilani's family too… you know, especially after that whole hostage crisis thing?"

"Ah... well, I can't say I blame her then," Cam sighed while secretly tucking away the small gift he got her into his blue shirt pocket. With Hannah's help, he had gone back to the local jeweler he met earlier in the week and got a great deal on the bracelet Naomi had been eying. If Christmas and New Year's was out of the question, it was probably best to just hold off and wait for another good opportunity in the future to give it to her.

Desmond didn't seem to pay any attention and instead went to the sink to pour himself a glass of water, "You know, the girls will be celebrating the holidays with their families too. Hannah's going to be with her parents and Alex will be spending time with her brother and sister. I guess that just leaves you, me, and Dave."

"Yeah... I guess it does," Cam shrugged, "Maybe the three of us should just go out and do something fun and different... you know, just like a guys night out?"

"I'm game... if Bailey gives me permission," Desmond chuckled gesturing back toward the couch in the dark living room.

"Kinda strange to be spending Christmas so far away from my own family back home... and without snow," the Blue Ranger sighed again after a brief pause.

Desmond gave a gentle smile and put a companionable hand on his friend's shoulder, "Maybe, but you keep forgetting about your new family here. We Rangers are _Ohana_ (family) too, remember?"

"Yeah... you're right. Thanks Desmond."

The Red Ranger clapped his housemate on the shoulder with a cheerful smile, "Any time. Now... what do you say we both cheer up and do something to celebrate Christmas tonight? Bailey brought over some specially made fruitcake and I put it in the fridge. You want to give it a try?"

Cam laughed gently and followed his friend toward the refrigerator, "Sure, why not? Worst comes to worst, we can always just try using it for bait the next time we go fishing."

Desmond reached into the fridge and pulled out the cake with a smile, "It's the gift that keeps on giving. Merry Christmas indeed."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Believe it or not, I'm actually one of those weird people who do like fruitcake at Christmas time. Otherwise, thanks for making to mid-series everyone!**

 **To answer a Guest review question from the last chapter, Barbatos didn't have a Cambion sigil to make him grow for two reasons. Gideon, Abaddon, and Shemhazai were the only ones who could grant the sigils to demons but they're all dead now. Secondly, I didn't want a second giant monster to distract and take away from the battle with Leviathan. Leviathan was the primary threat that I was building up to in this crossover. Thanks again, and I hope that answered your question!**


	41. Mahele: Disagreement

**Episode 21: Part 1**

The sounds of cheerful music filled the air as Desmond Waihee sat playing his ukelele on the back patio of the beach house. He wore a content smile and gave a nod toward Cam who sat nearby in a deck chair, strumming some harmonizing chords on his own mandolin. For the two friends, it was a perfect lazy afternoon filled with warm sunshine, chirping birds, and the gentle sounds of the surf behind them. It had been a couple weeks since the winter holidays had passed and the peace and quiet was a welcome change.

After teaming up with the veteran Vanguard Rangers in a climactic battle before Christmas, the Ocean Rangers now enjoyed an unusually long stretch of tranquility while the sea witch Hine Nui was likely busy licking her wounds. As the Red and Blue Rangers finished their next song and exchanged a relaxed laugh, they heard the doorbell ring from inside.

"Take five man. I'll get it," Cam sighed to Desmond before getting up from his chair and heading inside to answer the front door. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Naomi's father, Koichiro Sato waiting on the steps.

"Oh, Mr. Sato... hello. Please come in. I'm sorry I didn't know you were coming by," the Blue Ranger said apologetically as he let the older man inside.

"No need to apologize Cameron. I probably should have called ahead," Sato shrugged giving a smile and shaking hands with Cam, "Is Naomi home?"

"Actually she's at work," the Blue Ranger replied, "But I think she'll be back soon. You can wait here if you'd like to talk to her..."

Sato waved him off and chuckled, "Actually, I came to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes?"

Cam blinked in surprise, "Uh... sure. What can I do for you?"

Mr. Sato ambled over and sat down in a nearby armchair, "I think the question is more what I can do for you? I never got a chance to properly thank you for helping to save my life, and for protecting my daughter and I during the battle a few weeks ago."

"Oh... well, that's just part of being a Power Ranger," Cam answered sheepishly, "Really, there's no need to thank me."

The businessman gave a warm smile, "Perhaps... but I insist. It's a matter of personal honor and if someone does something as significant as saving my life, then it's only right that I reciprocate. Have a seat, my boy."

The Blue Ranger sat as Sato continued, "I came to invite you to a large charity gala that my real estate firm hosts every year. It'll be this coming weekend. It's a couple days at the Marriot resort on the island of Kauai, all expenses paid."

"Oh wow... that's very generous of you, but I couldn't," Cam protested gently, "What if the monsters attack again? What about my duties here?"

Sato smiled, "There hasn't been a monster attack in weeks. I think Honolulu will be safe for just a couple days. Besides, my old friend Captain Ramos will be there along with some other influential people. Think, it could be a good career networking opportunity."

"Well... maybe, but I'm not sure..."

Sato gave a hint of an amused smile, "I forgot to mention... Naomi will be coming too. I figure she could use a date to the event."

Cam fell silent and stared as Sato leaned back in his seat, "Tell me Cameron, what do you think of my daughter? You can be honest with me."

The Blue Ranger swallowed hard and felt a lump form in his throat. Was this some kind of trap? A trick question. He decided to answer carefully, "She's... a good friend, a great Ranger... someone I trust and respect."

Mr. Sato chuckled, "Funny, she said the same about you. Maybe she'd actually be on board with the idea of you two going together this year."

"You're... setting us up, sir?"

Mr. Sato idly ran his fingers down the wooden end table beside his chair, "I suppose I am. You see Cameron, I worry about the future of my daughter Naomi sometimes. She's stubborn, free spirited, and as good-hearted as she is... well, she sometimes lacks in common sense. That doesn't bode well for her in dating or finding a good man later on."

Cam chewed his lip for a moment, "Well... to be fair sir, she does work and has her own life. I know you're looking out for her and all, but don't you think that should ultimately be her decision?"

Sato sat back in his chair, "Lieutenant, every year for this event, Naomi has rejected every single young man I've suggested, and she instead goes alone. Whether it's to stick it to me or be stubborn, I can't be sure. However, I think things are different this year."

"Oh? Different how?"

The older businessman chuckled, "I think she likes you and of that, both she and I can agree. So... if you have a similar feeling, I'd like to invite you to come. If not for me... then for yourself."  
Cam sat frowning in silent thought before looking up slowly, "Ok... I'll go."

"Excellent!" Mr. Sato smiled as he rose from his seat and shook Cam's hand, "I promise you that you'll enjoy yourself."

At that moment, the door opened and Naomi walked in, shaking out her wet hair from another long day of lifeguarding at the beach. She stopped when she saw her father in the living room, "Oh... Dad, I didn't know you came by. Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine sweetheart," Mr. Sato smiled cheerfully, "I was just inviting your friend Cameron here to go to this year's charity gala on Kauai. He also said he'd be happy to go with you if you'd like."

"You what?" The Yellow Ranger exclaimed in horror as she dropped her gym bag with her wet clothes. She marched right up to her father in a huff, "I can't believe you Dad! I thought you'd have gotten the hint after all these years, hell... I thought we were doing great over the holidays but now you're still going behind my back and meddling in my life again?"

"Life without a future isn't a life at all Naomi," Mr. Sato countered, "One day your whole beach life is going to be over. Then what, hmm? I'm just trying to help make sure you start trying to find a good match too... so that you can be taken care of later on."

"Oh my God, Dad... this is not feudal Japan!" Naomi groaned, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Excuse me? Do I get a say here?" Cam interrupted, "I'm not signing on for an arranged marriage here or something, because now I'm feeling really awkward too."

Naomi glanced over and turned some of her ire toward Cam, "And you... I can't believe you let my Dad talk you into this... that you were even thinking of taking his side! You should know better than this!"

At that moment, Desmond walked in from the back porch, "Hey... what's with all the commotion in here?"

"Not now Desmond!" Naomi snarled causing the startled Red Ranger to immediately spin on his heel and do a walking about face back outside.

The Yellow Ranger slowly went to pick up her gym back and began to head to her room. Mr. Sato frowned slightly, "Naomi, where are you going?"

"To my room. I'm so mad at both of you right now, I have nothing more to say."

The two men watched as she walked out of the living room before Cam glanced to Mr. Sato. The older businessman cleared his throat and gave an apologetic smile, "Just give her a couple days to cool off. I'm sure she'll come around."

"Easy for you to say," the Blue Ranger muttered bleakly under his breath, "You're not the one sharing a house with her right now."

* * *

"Damn Desmond... that sounds like some really juicy gossip," Hannah remarked as she lay back on her beach towel and put on her sunglasses. Later that week, she, Desmond, and David had all just come back from an afternoon swim at Waikiki Beach and they sat down to dry off in the sun. Further out in the waters, Alex was just returning from having done some surfing on her pink longboard.

"So Cam and Naomi are actually going to be going to Kauai for the weekend, huh?" David asked handing his friends some water bottles from the little cooler he brought.

The Red Ranger shrugged and shook out his wet shaggy hair, "Looks that way. I mean, Naomi was pretty upset about it at first, but she didn't say she wasn't going either."

"And why do you think that is, smart guy?" David sighed while gently poking Desmond in the head, "I think it's pretty obvious that those two like each other and wouldn't mind going as each other's dates... even if the circumstances leading up to it was a little awkward."

Hannah giggled and took a swig of water, "Hey, if putting up with a little awkwardness means getting to stay at some fancy pants resort in Kauai for a free weekend, I'd totally do it. When you think about it, how come Mr. Sato didn't ask us to come too?"

David gave her slightly reproving glance before Alex approached her friends lugging her surfboard, "Hey, did you guys see me catch some of those waves? They've been great today!"

"Gee Alex, it was hard to see you when your board is over twice your size," Desmond sniggered causing the others to laugh too.

The little Pink Ranger huffed and put her hands on her hips indignantly, "Ha. Ha. Very funny Mr. Waihee. I'll have you know that I'm practicing for a surf competition this weekend. Bailey's restaurant is going to be sponsoring a surf team for a citywide competition. They're holding the tryouts in a couple days."

Desmond frowned slightly, "Bailey's place is helping sponsor a surf team? Why didn't she tell me?"

"Uh... Desmond? I didn't know you surfed," David pointed out with a skeptical look.

The Red Ranger puffed out his chest in a boast, "Of course I can! I'm a Hawaiian so I learned when I was young. It's in my blood!"

Alex raised an eyebrow, "Are you actually planning on trying out too?"

"Why not?"

The Pink Ranger sighed, "Desmond, this is a serious contest. Amateur boarders can't just walk up and expect to handle some of these waves out here without practice and experience. Hannah, you agree with me, right?"

The Orange Ranger shrugged, "I dunno. If he wants to try, let him. You shouldn't look down on him just because he's a little younger and doesn't have as much experience."

"That's right. You tell em Hannah," Desmond nodded putting an arm over her shoulders, "We younger Rangers have to stick together against the old farts here."

At that, David grumbled in mild annoyance and rose to stand beside Alex, "You know... sometimes it doesn't hurt to respect your elders. Alex has a point."

"All right, instead of arguing, we'll just let the judges of the surf competition decide this weekend," the Red Ranger challenged. "What do you say?"

"Fine by me," Alex frowned turning on her heel with her board, "Come on Dave. Let's give the children a chance to practice. They're going to need it."

* * *

Later that weekend, Cam stood impatiently in the main lobby of the resort where Mr. Sato's charity gala was being held. The ferry ride to the neighboring island of Kauai had been mercifully short and Naomi no longer seemed as upset as she was earlier in the week. Still, she had been a bit subdued and quieter than her usual cheerful self.

He hadn't had much time to talk to her and he hoped that maybe they could at least use tonight as a chance to clear the air and patch things up a little. Then again... there was that other little tidbit Mr. Sato had mentioned... about her possibly liking him too. Could there have been some truth to that? After all, she could have just simply aborted the whole weekend and stayed home, but instead she was here.

He gave a sigh and brushed away some lint from his crisp dress blue uniform before pacing around the lobby some more. Admittedly, the whole resort was incredibly gorgeous. There were tastefully arranged plants and colorful flowers along with fountains and running water around the polished promenades. Here and there, well dressed men and women passed by on the way to the area reserved for the gala this weekend. If one just stopped and took it all in, the scenery was really quite relaxing and a sight to behold.

At that moment, the Blue Ranger felt a tap on the shoulder from behind, "Um... hey Cam. Sorry I kept you waiting."

He turned in surprise and saw his friend and fellow Ranger in an elegant navy blue dress. She wore her long dark brown hair down in a wavy style and put on a little makeup to highlight her features. She had undergone a transformation, except instead of morphing into a Power Ranger, the lifeguard he knew looked more like a high society girl that belonged at a party like this.

"I... no...the wait was worth it. You look beautiful Naomi," he choked out.

The Yellow Ranger gave a small smile and stepped forward, reaching up to adjust Cam's necktie, "Thanks... you don't look so bad yourself. Shall we?"

He held out his arm and she took it as they began walking to the other end of the resort where the event was taking place.

After a pause, Cam cleared his throat, "Listen Naomi... I'm sorry about everything from earlier this week. If you really feel uncomfortable about coming here and going through with all this... you don't have to. I'd totally understand."

She shook her head and gave a sigh, "No... actually, I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. When I thought about it, my Dad did put you in a weird spot. I do know you meant well and it was sweet of you for volunteering to come. I should really be the one apologizing for getting mad."

They continued walking down a promenade lined with running water and a few more small hedges as he sighed, "I actually get why you'd be a little upset at your Dad, but I hope you know I'm not taking any sides here. The last thing I want you to do is feel weird or pressured around me. I mean... for God's sake, we're both friends and Rangers. We already know we can trust each other, right? So instead, let's just be ourselves... relax and have a little fun this weekend."

She smiled and nodded before they continued walking again toward the doors of the banquet hall, "I'd like that and thanks for being so understanding Cam. If I can be honest with you, I actually do want to be here this weekend."

"Good. That makes two of us then," he replied halting their progress by a vase full of flowers, "But you can't go into the party looking like this. The color is a little off. You're still missing something."

Naomi gave a perplexed look before he plucked a small yellow hibiscus from the vase and put it in her hair by her ear, "Much better."

That earned a genuine laugh... a good sign. If things were going well here, he wondered how the others were faring back home on Oahu.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Honolulu, Desmond cooked some fish over a charcoal grill outside the beach house while Hannah sat reading a magazine nearby. As the Red Ranger worked the grill to prepare dinner that evening, he looked to the waves further out on the shoreline. "I think we got in a good practice today, don't you think?"

Hannah flipped a page of her magazine, "Sure... but don't you think you and Alex are getting a little too competitive and taking this too far? I don't see why we couldn't have gone to Bailey's tonight with her and Dave."

"It's a matter of pride Hannah," Desmond answered flatly, "She was the one who was lording it over us about being a more experienced surfer. She hasn't even spent half her life here."

"But she practices more than you do," Hannah pointed out idly, "Plus I wasn't the one who pissed off Alex and Dave by calling them old farts. That was you."

Desmond grumbled and turned back to the grill, "Well don't worry. We'll still make them eat their words tomorrow. Now, do you think you could give me a hand with the veggies?"

* * *

Later that same evening, after several hours of dinner, drinks, and dancing, both Cam and Naomi retired from the banquet hall and made their way back toward the central resort lobby to relax.

"This was fun." Cam said, his face a little flushed from the drinks and the dancing.

Naomi, equally flushed gave a smirk. "Glad to hear it. Nice to know you aren't a complete stick in the mud."

The Blue Ranger gave her a playful little tickle in her sides causing her to giggle.

"Speak for yourself," Cam teased back, "I wasn't the one drinking three glasses of wine after dinner and going non stop on the dance floor."

The Yellow Ranger gave a sheepish shrug, "Sorry about that. I'll only resort to that once a year to get through the boredom of Dad's stuffy banquet."

Cam snorted in amusement and shook his head, "Okay Miss Trouble, in that case you should probably head back upstairs and call it a night then."

"Umm... actually, do you mind helping me back to my room? I still feel a little wobbly."

Cam rubbed his own eyes and quietly assented, offering his arm and leading her toward the elevators.

After taking it up to the right floor, he walked Naomi to the door of her room and stopped, her hand still holding his arm for support.

"We're here," he said gesturing to his arm.

"Oh... right," she said abruptly letting go. "Thanks again Cam. I had a really nice night."

He hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, I did too Naomi. I guess this is good night?"

"Yeah," she said softly.

They both stood in silence for a moment looking at each other when Cam took a step forward and gently brushed aside a loose strand of hair from her face. "You know, I meant what I said earlier... about being glad to be here this weekend... with you."

Naomi stepped forward meeting him and lightly toyed with Cam's coat lapel. "Really? For once, I feel the same way about being here with someone too."

As Cam put his forehead to Naomi's, they both slowly leaned their noses gently towards each other as if they were on autopilot, senses dulled by the drinks, the intoxicating scent of the evening's flowers and perfume, and the haze that seemed to be forming now.

Very slowly, his lips met hers and gently pressed closer. As she reciprocated, he put his hands around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him. Cam felt dizzy but elated in the same moment as he and Naomi stood there embracing in the hallway, while sharing a passionate open mouthed kiss of growing intensity. As the heat of the kiss began to build, she slowly pulled away and took a slight step backwards.

"Naomi? What's wrong?"

She put her fingers to her lips and shook her head slightly, "I... I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry Cameron."

He blinked in surprise and confusion as she fumbled for her room key and opened the door, "Wait... what? Is it something I did? If it is... I'm sorry, and..."

She shook her head apologetically and looked away before retreating into her room, "No... I just... I can't do this right now. Good night Cam."

The Blue Ranger reached out but the door closed in front his face. He gave a discouraged sigh and slumped forward, putting his forehead to the door. What the hell just happened right here? Everything had been going great... until just now. Maybe he spoke too soon... maybe coming to Kauai this weekend wasn't such a good idea after all.


	42. Hilahila: Embarrassment

**Episode 21: Part 2  
**

Early morning sunlight streamed through the leaves of the swaying palm trees as Cam stood by himself in one of the wooden resort pavilions overlooking the white sand beaches. Despite the beautiful balmy day and the gentle sea breeze, he leaned glumly upon the railing of the pavilion replaying the events of the disastrous prior evening over in his mind. It didn't make any sense that one moment he was holding Naomi in his arms sharing a fiery kiss with her and the next moment, he was suddenly left standing with a closed door in his face.

Admittedly, not getting much sleep didn't help with his mood or in trying to think things through logically… that and the constant sound of chickens running loose throughout the resort. Overnight, a flock of chickens had apparently escaped from a nearby farm and the damned birds had been making a ruckus for resort guests all morning. Cam grumbled again in annoyance as he saw a clucking chicken try to flutter up onto the pavilion before he chased it away. "Hey! Get outta here! Shoo!"

As he settled back into his spot, he heard the sounds of footsteps from behind followed by a familiar voice, "Hey…uh, I didn't expect to find you out here this morning."

The Blue Ranger turned slowly to face Naomi as she hesitantly approached the pavilion where he stood, "I decided to take a walk... I had a lot on my mind."

"Right," she sheepishly nodded as she stood nearby and tried to focus on the beach, using it as an excuse to avoid his eyes.

He waited for a long moment before putting his hands on his hips, "I'm guessing you had a lot to think about? That's probably why you're out here too, right?"

"Do we really have to talk about it?"

Cam fixed her with a narrow look, "After what happened yesterday night? Yeah... I think it's kinda important we do. Don't you think?"

She sighed and joined him at the railing before he glanced toward her again, "Come on Naomi. Talk to me here. Were you embarrassed about that kiss?"

She winkled her features and brushed aside some of her dark hair with a conflicted look, "No... well, maybe a little... Gosh, I don't know..."

Cam took a calming breath to try and approach things from a different angle, "You shouldn't be ashamed. I'm not."

She turned to look at him as he continued, "Listen Naomi... I like you... a lot. I think you're beautiful, brave, and strong... you're a lot of fun to be around, and I know how kind hearted you are too. You welcomed Desmond and I into your home, and I've seen how much your cousin Leilani loves you and looks up to you too."

He took her hands gently, "We've become better friends and I have feelings for you now... real feelings, and I want to be with you too. Your Dad hinted to me that you felt the same way and..."

"And that's just it," she sighed withdrawing her hands, "That's why I'm feeling so unsure about all this right now... and I hate it."

He blinked in confusion before she spoke again, "I like you too Cameron... a lot. In fact, I haven't felt this way toward any other guy either."

She paused for a moment and looked out toward the morning light glittering over the distant waters, "Yesterday while I was kissing you, I couldn't help but worry that I was playing right into my Dad's plans for me... the fact that he thinks very highly of you and might try to control me through you... or possibly manipulate you too... I just couldn't take that chance."

Cam frowned in mild frustration, "Good God, your Dad has nothing to do with this or the way I feel about you! Just because you and him might agree on something for once isn't necessarily a bad thing. I really don't think he's a bad man either... he just has a more ordered approach toward life. That's all."

"Which is why it's hard for you to understand where I'm coming from Cam," she protested, "You're in the military. You come from a world of strict rules, discipline, and always doing what others expect you to do. I'm not that way."

Cam's features tightened, "I follow those rules and expectations because I believe in them... because I believe they help to protect others and that following them is the right thing to do."

"But what about what you want?"

"I'm telling you what I want right now... I want you," Cam said firmly, "That's not going to stand in the way of my duties, but I need to know that you feel the same way. So tell me... what is it that you want right now Naomi? What is it that you believe in?"

She hesitated and trailed off for a long moment, "I... I don't know. I... it was all so easy at the beginning, you know? The casual flirting between us was fun, and I liked it. There wasn't any pressure or worry about relationships or any kind of commitments."

"Well I'm here to tell you that commitment and knowing what you want is how grown-up relationships work," the Blue Ranger replied heatedly.

A long silence fell between the two and they both turned their eyes to the waters. Finally Cam gave a long sigh and spoke again with a level voice, "I've told you how I feel now. I'm not going to pressure you either... but you have to decide what it is that you want for yourself. I can't promise that I'll wait around for you to make up your mind about me either."

Naomi nodded and gave a pained look toward the Blue Ranger, "I'm sorry about all this Cameron. I didn't mean for things to happen like this."

He gave a mild huff while turning away and trying to keep a stoic expression, "Yeah... well, neither did I. If you don't mind... I think I'd like to be alone for the rest of the weekend, ok?"

She gave another apologetic nod and quietly began walking away from the pavilion as another renegade chicken fluttered down from the roof and landed on the railing beside Cam. The Blue Ranger slowly glanced over at the clucking bird next to him and decided he was too depressed at the moment to swat the chicken away.

"What are you looking at?" he muttered in mild annoyance while thinking about how long and awkward the trip back to Oahu would be, "Haven't you ever seen a heartbroken Power Ranger before?"

The chicken blinked a few times and gave a blank expression before it started pecking at the railing, "No... I didn't think so either."

* * *

The loud sounds of the pounding surf echoed down the beaches of Waikiki as a small crowd of surfers made their way out toward the waters that morning. On the shore, David and Hannah sat next to Bailey on the warm sand nearby the tent set aside for the judges. As they watched the surfers, the incoming waves almost seemed to pick up in intensity.

"The waves look a little rough today," David commented with slight concern. "Looks like it'll be tough on the surfers."

To his left, Bailey shook her head as she watched Desmond head out into the water with his red surfboard, "My boyfriend is a humongous idiot."

To David's right, Hannah scratched her chin, "Hey Dave, wanna make a friendly wager? Five bucks says Desmond wipes out first before Alex."

"You're betting against your fellow young one?" the Green Ranger asked in surprise.

The Orange Ranger simply shrugged, "I'm still cheering for him, but I'm just hedging my bets."

David frowned slightly, "All right fine. I'll cheer for Desmond then… only if I make a counter wager."

"What's that?"

David scratched his chin, "Five bucks says Alex makes the team regardless."

Hannah took his hand and shook it, "You're on."

Meanwhile, out in the waters, Alex and Desmond floated on their boards with other surfers getting ready to catch a wave. They both were part of a twenty minute heat in which the surfers would be scored by the length of time they could stay on their board during waves and how daring they were in the tricks they did.

As she paddled though the rough water, Alex decided to go with a conservative game plan today. She didn't need to be the highest scorer, but just score high enough. She glanced over to Desmond, "Hey Desmond… seriously… be careful today all right?"

The Red Ranger met her look and gave a nod, "I'll be just careful enough. Too careful doesn't score the points."

Alex sighed as she watched Desmond charge forward and catch a wave, putting up a good first run.

From where they watched on the beach, David saw Alex go next and wipe out on an unruly wave. He held out a hand and Hannah sighed, forking over a five dollar bill. After an initially bad first run, Alex caught up again in score after a few more consistent runs down the pipeline. After getting a feel for the waters, the Pink Ranger had adapted and found a good strategy to approach the unique conditions of the beach today, unlike Desmond whose method was a bit more scattershot and inconsistent.

As the heat reached the three quarters mark, Alex beat Desmond to the next wave and began coasting effortlessly down the pipe. As he glanced back over her shoulder she saw her friend attempt to follow her and take the cresting wave high… until he lost his balance. His surf board kicked up and banged into his leg causing him to fall hard into the churning waters.

When the wave began to pass, Alex coasted back around and saw the Red Ranger struggling to tread and grab hold of his board. She immediately abandoned the competition and hurried over to help her downed comrade.

Upon seeing this, David handed Hannah back her money for winning the counter bet and the three got up to run out toward the waters.

While they made their way back to the shore, Desmond gave one last cough and shook out some water from his ears. As the Red Ranger limped slightly, Alex helped support him while they walked together. David, Hannah, and Bailey came hurrying down from the dunes to meet their friends and make sure everything was okay.

"Geez Desmond! What were you thinking, trying some of those moves with waves like this?" Bailey scolded him while quickly giving him a worried hug. She turned to David, "He'll be ok right?"

The doctor bent down to examine Desmond's leg and the Red Ranger let him inspect it for a minute. Finally David nodded and gave a relieved look to his injured teammate, "I think you'll be fine. It's just a nasty bruise. As long as you don't push it for a few days, the swelling will go down in no time."

"Thanks Doc," Desmond sighed before turning to Alex with a slightly shamefaced expression, "And uh… thanks for coming to help me back there Alex. I guess I kinda overestimated my own abilities in this rough surf."

Hannah shrugged and patted Desmond's shoulder encouragingly, "Well, many Red Rangers have been known to be kinda reckless and headstrong. I guess it was to be expected."

"Yeah… except I kinda acted like a big idiot too," Desmond mumbled as the group continued to walk toward their little campsite in the sand. He cast a look out toward the waters where the other surfers continued to finish their heat and get final scores. "I'm really sorry I acted like a huge ass and made you miss out on the rest of your heat Alex. I'm sure if you stayed in, you'd probably have made the team."

Alex sighed and shrugged, "Maybe… but making sure you were ok is more important. We're Power Rangers remember?"

"And hopefully still friends?" Desmond asked apologetically while holding out a hand.

The Pink Ranger gave him a swift punch in the shoulder before her expression softened into a smile and she put a friendly arm around his neck, "What a stupid question! Of course we are!"

Bailey clasped her hands together, "Great! Now that everything is settled, let's just forget about surfing today and go grab some lunch. What do you say?"

"Sounds good to me," Alex grinned as she picked up her board, "Lead the way."

While the others began to walk back toward the Silver Marlin further up the beach, Hannah turned to David and raised the five dollar bill she won back, "Hey Dave… you wanna make another bet?"

The Green Ranger raised an eyebrow curiously, "Oh?"

"Yeah… wanna bet Cam chickens out and blows a chance to get together with Naomi this weekend?"

David frowned, "Hannah, that's not very nice… we should be supportive."

"I'm actually very supportive of that idea," Hannah replied with a playful wink, "Doesn't mean I can't try to make a few extra bucks by playing devil's advocate."

David looked to make sure the others were out of earshot before lowering his voice toward her, "All right… hypothetically speaking, what kind of payoff odds are we talking here?"

* * *

That evening after the sun had set under the horizon, the sea witch Hine Nui began her sinister work again on the Phantom Isle, just off the coast of Oahu. As she chanted words in an ugly and ancient guttural sounding language, she labored over her large vile cauldron which bubbled with foul seawater and glowed with eldritch light.

It had been several weeks since the last great defeat of her forces in Hanauma Bay and she wanted to exact revenge on the meddling Ocean Rangers who had been constantly thwarting her attempts to overrun the islands. The remains of the Cambion demons had been far too weak and their secret weapon Leviathan had been too unpredictable. The sea serpent had been a force of raw untamed power, but that was not Hine Nui's way. Instead of a hammer strike, she would opt for a surgical use of lethal focused power.

As she finished stirring the contents of her cauldron, she finished her chant and pulled down a wispy apparition that had been swirling around the pot. As she did, the unearthly spirit moaned and wailed, even as it melted into the cauldron.

At that moment, the mollusk warrior General Kuta entered Hine Nui's lair carrying a limp body wrapped in cloth. As he approached, the commander of the Benthic armies halted a moment, slightly unnerved by whatever evil spell the witch was casting.

"My Queen… I brought you the body you desired. This vagrant couldn't have drowned more than two days ago."

Hine Nui gently pulled the cover from the head revealing the dead face of a young man. He looked to be half Hawaiian and had messy dark hair. While he looked like he might have been some vagrant or outlaw, his features were still somewhat handsome in a way.

"Yes. You will do perfectly," the witch smiled as she had Kuta place the corpse into the cauldron.

Kuta watched in apprehension as the glowing liquid bubbled and churned, "My Queen, do you really think you can revive that ancient warrior spirit back from the dead?"

Hine Nui nodded with a devilish glint in her eye, "Haka had been one of Kanohi's greatest warriors before the Ocean Rangers. He still desires revenge for being replaced and used by that old shaman. What better way than to give him a second chance? All he needs is a physical vessel."

Kuta frowned, "You will resurrect him as he was?"

Hine Nui shook her head, "No. If Kanohi can make a Power Ranger using the forces of Creation, then I will make my own Ranger using the magic of Death and Decay."

She raised her hands and caused the bubbling liquid to erupt into a cloud of noxious vapor. "Arise, my warrior. Live again and reap your vengeance!"

As the vapors cleared, the gloved hand of a new dark Ranger grasped the edge of the cauldron with a menacing iron grip.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Shout out to _ImaSupernaturalCSI_ for helping to inspire those rampaging Kauai chickens.**

 **Special thanks also go to _SethKobayashi _ for creating a new villain for the next story arc coming up. Who doesn't love a good old evil Ranger plot, right?**


	43. Huaka: Shadow

**Episode 22: Part 1  
**

"Hey Naomi, pick up the pace! You're lagging behind!" Desmond called as he and David jogged down the sandy coastline back toward the beach house.

It was a warm Saturday morning and the three friends had decided to get a good workout in by jogging a few miles down the beach. The Red and Green Rangers jogged in place and bounced on their heels until Naomi caught up. She slowed down and wiped a line of sweat from her brow before joining them.

"You feeling ok?" Desmond asked in slight concern, "You were kinda trailing behind earlier and you haven't said much either."

She shrugged and took a moment to shake some sand out from her beach shoes, "Sorry, I'm just not feeling it today."

Desmond and David exchanged a look and shrugged. It had been a week since Cam and Naomi had returned from Kauai and something had obviously happened. Whatever it was, both of them had remained tight lipped about it and carried on like nothing had happened... at least they tried to. It really wasn't too hard to see that the two Rangers were slowly beginning to grow quiet and avoidant of one another.

David scratched his chin thoughtfully before trying to sound optimistic, "Hey, since we're almost to the house, why don't we all clean up and then go out to lunch together. Cam will probably be around so he can come too, what do you say?"

Naomi shook her head and tied her hair back in a ponytail, "Sure, but he won't be in. He mentioned he was still going to be at Pearl Harbor working on something."

"Working on the weekend?" David frowned slightly, "What the heck could be so important?"

Desmond shrugged and pulled David aside quietly, "Beats me. He's been gone all week saying the same thing. My guess is, he's just saying that to lay low and avoid you-know-who."

Desmond clapped him on the shoulder and began to lead the others in finishing their jog again. As he began to follow along, David quietly shook his head to himself and felt pangs of regret from taking Hannah up on her little bet from a week ago.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Phantom Isle, the ancient sea witch Hine Nui walked up the sands to join her newest warrior as he stood facing the sea and looking out towards the island of Oahu. The dark waters around the island churned and the rays of the sun were dimmed from the shadowy clouds of dark magic surrounding the miniature island stronghold.

"You are thinking of returning home to your island Seth?" the witch asked calmly as the young man with unruly dark hair slowly turned to look at her. Despite his half Hawaiian features, the color of Seth's skin seemed a bit drained and his eyes were alight with a dark vibrant energy. He glanced down to his tattered black shirt and ripped dark pants, then back at the sea witch.

"I have nowhere to call home," he said flatly, "There was nothing for me on that island but misery anyway."

The witch gave a guarded smile as Seth continued his musing, "What hope would some homeless criminal like me have there? The cops were already after me for armed robbery and I made a lot of enemies besides."

"Perhaps you can consider this your fresh new start," Hine Nui offered as she reached over and touched the bracelet he wore on his wrist. It was made of jagged looking stones and dark purplish coral, designed as a foul parody of the Ocean Bracers Kanohi had created for his own Rangers. "With this power I have granted you, you can now take revenge on those who have wronged you, and live life on your own terms... as a fully empowered warrior."

The young man frowned and looked at his coral bracelet. "I still don't understand. Why would you do all this for me?"

Hine Nui smirked and crossed her arms, "Tell me Seth... what is the last thing you remember before coming to my island?"

Seth frowned and thought, "I remember the bank robbery going wrong in the city. I made a run for it on my motorbike. The cops were shooting and next thing I knew, I was going headfirst off a pier into the water."

Hine Nui made a placating gesture, "You were hurt and washed ashore here. That was when a servant of mine decided to help you... an old warrior by the name of Haka."

It was a gross twisting of the truth, but Seth did not have to know that he had in fact been dead and resurrected by dark magic. Unknown to him right now, the spirit of Hine Nui's ancient ally was inhabiting the young man, subtly exerting his will on Seth's subconscious mind and keeping him alive.

"Who is Haka?" Seth asked as he began walking with Hine Nui.

The witch cast an idle glance toward Oahu, "I come from an ancient time child, and so did Haka. He was once the greatest warrior of his tribe and served my enemy... a shaman by the name of Kanohi. Haka was a proud and peerless warrior, but Kanohi did not choose him to be one of his five great champions. According to Kanohi, Haka was lacking in other important qualities."

Seth nodded, "Ok... so what happened?"

"Haka felt betrayed and believed his pride was wounded... so he came to join my side in order to take revenge against his old leader. He wanted to prove himself and best those who were chosen before him."

The young man furrowed his brow, "An outcast and a criminal... just like me. I think I kinda understand."

Hine Nui gestured toward the dark Ocean Bracer and began to bend the truth again, "Haka's power lies within that bracelet and can grant you great strength... so long as you don't ever remove it from your wrist. Join me and my followers... so that we can take what is rightfully ours and rule a new island empire from Oahu."

Seth turned away in thought while rubbing the bracelet on his wrist. He didn't quite understand what all this was really about, but it was the best offer he could ever hope for at this point. "What do you need me to do?"

Hine Nui rubbed her pale hands together, "Actually, I intend for you to track down Kanohi's liar and kill him for me."

Seth cast a sidelong look to the witch, "And what of these warriors... or chosen guardians you mentioned? The Ocean Rangers."

Hine Nui simply laughed, "Trust in Haka's power. I believe you will know exactly what to do when the time comes."

Seth smiled to himself and looked back out over the dark waters. The job seemed straight forward enough. It was good to have a purpose and a promise of great reward again. If that freaky sea witch was willing to give him some super powers already, he couldn't imagine what other benefits might come his way further down the line.

* * *

The waves pounded in a steady rhythm against the public beaches near Pearl Harbor as Cam and Hannah made their way out of the waters. While they returned to their beach towels and began to dry off, Hannah shook out her long blonde hair and panted in exhaustion as she plopped down in the sand, "Ok... I've gotta admit... I'm pretty tired now. I didn't think you'd be up for swimming laps that long."

Cam shrugged as he dried himself off with his blue beach towel, "I dunno. I guess I just needed to blow off some steam. Thanks for coming with today Hannah."

The Orange Ranger sat in the sand giving him a questioning look before nodding, "Sure. No problem. I'm guessing you've been really busy with work or something? Desmond told me you've been holed up here at the base this week."

Cam glanced over toward her and kept a neutral expression, "Yeah... something like that."

Hannah stared him down for a minute before giving a sigh and rolling her eyes, "You really think I'm going to buy that? Come on Cam... you can talk to me. What happened on Kauai?"

"Listen Hannah, I appreciate your concern and all... I do. But it's really none of your business. Can you please just drop it for now?" Cam replied with a slight warning edge in his voice.

Hannah shook her head gently and began to follow him as he headed back up toward the sand dunes. She put on a cajoling smile and tried nudging him playfully in the side. "Aw, come on. I know it's the popular military thing to do to bottle everything up and pretend like everything is cool, but I'm sure you'll feel better if you just talk about it."

"What I want to know is why you're so damn interested," Cam muttered irritably, "Are you just being nosy, or are you really that starved for drama?"

The Orange Ranger stopped a moment and gave a slightly hurt expression, "Did you ever stop and think for a moment that maybe it's because I genuinely care?"

He stopped and looked at the teen as she continued, "Listen Cam, I've always been an only child in my family. My parents were always kinda concerned that I didn't make enough friends or connect enough with other people... but it's been so different since I got involved with you Rangers, and became one myself. Now I have another little family where I feel like I belong and it really bothers me when I see one of you guys upset. You might still think I'm kind of an annoying immature kid sometimes but it's only because you and the other guys are the closest things I have to older brothers. I guess I just want to do what a little sister is supposed to do."

Cam's expression softened and he reached out to gently put an apologetic hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry I snapped at you Hannah. I didn't know you felt that way... and thank you for telling me. It means a lot."

"Yeah... well... it's true."

He nodded and looked out toward the ocean skies. Out on the horizon, there was a large dark line of storm clouds in the distance and they were headed toward the island. With that, he gestured toward the path leading back to the base, "Come on. There's a big storm coming. Why don't we head back to the rec center and hide out from the storm. We'll have some snow cones and talk more. My treat. What do you say?"

* * *

Later that afternoon as dark rain clouds began to cast their shadow over the island, Alexandra Coach lay back on the comfy couch, safe and dry inside her apartment. She had finished all her college homework for the week and the dance classes she normally helped to teach on the weekends had been cancelled as well. It was one of those blissfully lazy Saturdays and the Pink Ranger planned to enjoy every minute of it. She had a cup full of fresh fruit salad ready to enjoy while she decided which movies to watch on her Netflix. As she sat back scrolling though options, her little kitten Miko hopped onto the couch and curled up on her lap.

She stopped and took a moment to pet her cat affectionately while giving a smile, "You wanna watch a movie too? What should we see? We could see a new action movie... or maybe a romance one instead?"

The kitten gave a meow and buried his head in her side as she began to laugh, "Ok... romance movie it is."

Before she could say another word, she suddenly saw her Ocean Bracer flicker with light. With a sigh, Alex put down her remote control and her fruit salad. She hated to go out now... especially to do battle, but duty called. She gave Miko one last scratch behind the ears as she got up, "Don't go watching the movie without me... and if you do, don't you dare spoil it either, ok?"

The kitten meowed again and curled up to take a nap on the couch. At least that was one less thing Alex didn't have to worry about today, and she was definitely thankful for it.

* * *

Amid the dark threatening skies above, Seth watched in amusement as the Nightmarcher zombies he arrived with on Oahu began to terrorize a nearby resort area and chase away tourists. Hine Nui's foot soldiers swarmed the area and began destroying property or looting anything that looked halfway valuable. Why an undead warrior would be interested in acquiring any kind of wealth was anyone's guess, but Seth didn't care enough to know. Instead, he chose to revel in the sight of seeing all those rich snobby tourists in pain and fear... those same people who would give him dirty looks and treat him like less than a human on the streets.

While the undead warriors continued to wreak havoc around the beachfront hotel grounds, Seth kept watch for the Ocean Rangers. Chances were good that if they would respond to this attack, then it would likely lead him closer toward finding out where the old wizard Kanohi was hiding. He didn't have to wait long until six morphed Ocean Rangers emerged from the nearby beaches to intercept the Nightmarcher threat.

To the Ocean Rangers' surprise, the Nightmarchers fell back and regrouped as the heroes approached to confront them. It was unusual to see them group up into an almost defensive phalanx waiting for the Rangers to attack, instead of mindlessly rushing them like an unruly mob.

After a long pause, the Ocean Rangers continued to watch in confusion as the Nightmarchers stopped and parted ranks for a young man to step forward. Despite his raggedy appearance, the man known as Seth moved with a new kind of calmness and confidence given by his newfound powers.

Desmond narrowed his eyes on the strange man and kept a guarded stance, "Who are you? What are you doing hanging around with the Nightmarchers?"

Seth smiled and laughed, "The name is Seth! Haven't you heard? I'm Hine Nui's new champion? I couldn't believe that old myth about a death goddess was real... or that she'd be able to give me this."

He held up his wrist and the Ocean Rangers stared in shock as they saw a dark tribal Ocean Bracer made of purple and black coral stones.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Alex called in outrage, "Are you really some kind of flunkie for that sea witch Hine Nui?"

"I think you mean new partner," Seth corrected her, "Seems like she and some warrior by the name of Haka have some bad blood with your boss... so Hine Nui sent me to take care of it. Mind showing me the way to his pad?"

"How about we show you the door instead?" Hannah answered defiantly.

"Have it your way," Seth shrugged as he called upon the dark powers from his own bracelet. In a billowing cloud of inky black smoke, a dark Ocean Ranger emerged ready for battle. His suit was black with more jagged warlike patterns colored in white, along with some assorted pieces of dark purple armor. In many ways, it was a complete mockery of the Ocean Rangers' own suits, save for the hammerhead shark design of the helmet.

The Ocean Rangers continued to watch in fear and astonishment as the new warrior brandished a weapon shaped like a long bladed harpoon and leveled it toward them.

"I don't believe it..." Naomi gasped in shock, "An evil Power Ranger? How is this possible?"

Cam stepped up beside Desmond and summoned his own saber, "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we've got another bad guy to take down."

David frowned and took a ready stance, "Guys... it's not just some random monster. It's a fellow human being this time. We have to be careful."

"Human or not, we'll stop him just like every minion that Hine Nui has sent before," Desmond answered with determination as he called on his spear and ignited it. "Let's go everyone! Surf's up Rangers!"

From within his own helmet, Seth smirked and gripped his weapon as he waved the Nightmarchers on. He could feel the ancient warrior spirit of Haka inside his head, his powers coursing from the Ocean Bracer while causing his senses to boil with intense rage and bloodlust. With the raging spirit beginning to take over, Seth let himself go and charged forward clinging to the belief that nothing, not even Kanohi's warriors, would be able to stand in the way of his destiny now.


	44. Paio: Conflict

**Episode 22: Part 2  
**

A shower of sparks rained down amid the ringing sound of steel as Desmond's spear clashed against Seth's harpoon. While the Red and Black Ocean Rangers struggled and grappled weapons, the other Rangers collided with the platoon of Nightmarcher warriors, hoping to thin their ranks quickly enough to aid Desmond in his battle.

As the others fended off the undead horde, Desmond gasped in shock as Seth pushed back against him with tremendous strength and skillfully parried his weapon aside. It was almost like the new Black Ranger was possessed by some ferocious demon, reminding him of the incident involving Alex and a cursed mask.

As Seth spoke, his voice sounded vaguely distorted, as if another deeper voice had been superimposed over to his. "Is that you _Ka'ena_? Have you survived all these years like I have?"

Desmond blocked another strike and fell to the ground as Seth gave him a hard shoulder check, "What are you talking about? I don't know any _Ka'ena_. Who are you?"

"Don't play dumb," the distorted voice of Seth spat venomously as the Black Ranger took another wild swing at Desmond, "You don't remember me, Haka? The greatest warrior in our tribe? The one who should be wearing your mantle?"

Desmond rolled away at the last moment and desperately raised his guard just in time to keep from getting skewered by the harpoon. "You said your name was Seth! You really must be batshit insane!"

"A lesser warrior like you gaining Kanohi's favor brought me nothing but shame!" the possessed Black Ranger roared pushing the tip of his harpoon toward Desmond's throat, "I'm going to kill you first, and then finish that old kahuna off next."

Seth growled as he suddenly saw a razor-tipped hook snare the end of his weapon and pull it aside to protect Desmond. He glanced to see the Orange Ranger Hannah forcefully tug at the weapon. As the Black Ranger turned, he was struck backward by the forceful blow of Cam's blue shark-fin saber.

Seth snarled and quickly recovered to his feet as Cam reached out and helped Desmond stand up again. "You'll pay dearly for that, _Kai_."

Cam turned to Desmond and kept his guard raised, "Any idea what the hell this guy is talking about?"

Desmond shook his head, "No clue, but just be careful. He's dangerous."

Moments later, the Red Ranger was proved right as Seth brought his Bracer around and fired a billowing jet of black shadowy smoke and energy. Cam raised his sword to try and deflect the attack, but it was too powerful and it easily swept aside the Red, Blue, and Orange Rangers. As the three heroes tumbled backwards and lay stunned on the ground, their other three comrades finished off the Nightmarcher foes and moved to assist their friends.

David was the first to reach Seth and brought his great-club abound for a disabling blow but the Black Ranger nimbly dodged it and slipped inside David's guard. Before David knew what happened, Seth grabbed the handle of the club and disarmed him, sending him tumbling sideways with a kick. The Black Ranger snorted in contempt and tossed aside the club as he turned to face the combined attack of Naomi and Alex.

Both female Rangers charged together from different angles and struck at the same time, but they gasped in surprise as the Black Ranger used his powers to fade away in a black puff of shadowy smoke. The two Rangers missed their attacks and stopped to look around in confusion before Seth reappeared and knocked them both aside with his weapon. He moved with blinding speed phasing in and out of the shadows which were only helped by the dark skies above.

In Haka's booming voice, Seth laughed as he scraped his harpoon along the sandy ground, "You must be imposters. I don't remember Kanohi's warriors ever being so pathetic and weak."

Desmond grunted and used his spear to stand up again, "Then I think we'll have to jog your memory, cause we're not through yet. Alex and Hannah?"

The Pink and Orange Rangers gave a nod and raised their Ocean Bracers channeling the powers of Sunlight and the Dawn Sun to momentarily daze their enemy. Seth roared in outrage and shielded his eyes from the radiant light as Desmond used the opportunity to strike back. The Red Ranger charged forward with his blazing spear and made to thrust it at his disoriented opponent.

At the last moment, the Black Ranger caught the spear before it could lance him and held Desmond in place. Deciding to use a new tactic, Desmond channeled some volcanic fire to spray from the spear-head like a flamethrower and damage Seth again. As the Black Ranger recoiled and let go of the weapon, Desmond brought it around for a powerful slash and knocked the evil Ranger back again to give them some room.

Seth growled and began to wrap himself in wispy shadows, "This is only the beginning Rangers. You won't be able to stop me from taking my revenge."

Before the Ocean Rangers could regroup, the Black Ranger retreated from the battlefield in a puff of dark shadowy smoke. Desmond watched the new foe withdraw from battle before lowering his own weapon and giving a relieved sigh. "That was close."

A low rumble of thunder was heard and a light rain shower began to fall as the other Rangers gathered around Desmond to try and make sense of their new situation. Even though they were all still morphed, it was clear that they wore troubled expressions behind their visors.

"What is going on here?" Alex asked aloud, "Who was that guy?"

"More importantly, how did Hine Nui create an evil version of our powers?" David pondered nearby.

Naomi frowned and clenched a fist, "We should try to follow that guy. Desmond might have been able to drive him off, but we can't just let him get away."

"No," Cam answered firmly, "Not until we know what we're dealing with. That dark Ranger said he was after Kanohi. I say we head back to Ocean Point Temple and get more intel first."

"If we do, we risk leading him to Ocean Point, you know," she argued back while putting her hands on her hips.

The Blue Ranger glared at her and crossed his arms, "An acceptable risk. Better to have a plan than to rush into everything blind and aimless as usual."

The others stood silently watching the heated argument between the Blue and Yellow Rangers before Desmond finally cleared his throat, "Come on, I think it's best we go see Kanohi and make sure he's ok. At the very least, we can give him a warning in advance."

The six Ocean Rangers warily looked about the ruined resort for any sign of Seth before heading back to the waters of the beach and quickly teleporting away.

* * *

Back at Ocean Point Temple, the Ocean Rangers gathered again in the open air ruins. Despite the rain that had begun to fall, the magic of the temple grounds kept the water droplets from falling inside, as if there were some invisible ceiling. In the center of the temple, the six young people stood before their mentor Kanohi, having powered down to their civilian clothes again.

After telling the ancient tiki of their run in with the new dark warrior, they waited quietly listening to the rain and thunder as Kanohi pondered their words. As he did, he gave off a warm and comforting light which flickered from his eyes and mouth.

"This is troubling news Rangers. I should have seen this coming. If I was able to create the Ocean Bracers from the powers of Life and Creation, then there is no reason Hine Nui could not do the same with her powers of Death and Decay."

"Is it possible that she could make more Rangers?" Hannah asked nervously, "Because that would be really scary."

The light flickered again from the old kahuna as he answered, "Unlikely. The forces of Creation are multifaceted. There are so many different natural elements always churning about, sometimes working together and sometimes conflicting… much like you humans. While Death is a singular aspect, its power will be much more focused and concentrated than yours."

Naomi nodded, "We kinda got that impression. That Black Ranger was super powerful."

After a long pause, Desmond gave a thoughtful frown, "Kanohi… during the battle, that Seth guy also referred to himself as Haka. He seemed confused and called Cam and I by different names... _Ka'ena_ and _Kai._ "

There was an audible sigh from the tiki, and he replied in an almost remorseful tone, "Those were the names of the original Red and Blue Ocean Rangers. Back during the ancient war against Hine Nui, Haka was one of the strongest warriors of our tribe. He fought many battles against Hine Nui's forces… until he turned his back on his own people."

"I don't understand. Why would one of your best fighters betray you in such a desperate time?" Alex asked.

"Haka was a powerful and talented warrior, but he lacked the virtue and strength of heart to be an Ocean Ranger. I could not choose him to be one of our champions and his pride would not allow him to accept that. He ultimately fell in battle while fighting against the original Ocean Rangers and presumably died full of shame and disgrace."

"Except he's back again and interested in settling some old scores," David added, "Is it possible that Hine Nui brought Haka back to life somehow?"

The tiki made a low grunt, "Not exactly. If Haka's spirit remained intact, then she would need a physical vessel to carry it. I suspect this Seth person is that host."

"Then the question becomes, how do we fight this guy?" Cam asked while wearing his own pensive frown, "We need to be better prepared because we barely held our own against him today."

"What are you suggesting?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Right now, we should probably try to start by finding out who this guy is. I'm going to get to work and do some digging around on the government databases."

"That sounds like a big job," Naomi interjected, "Maybe I should help you?"

Cam glared at her, slightly annoyed that she all of a sudden wanted to help and be around him now. "I'll be fine, thanks."

Desmond stepped forward and raised a hand to mediate the situation, "Okay, in the mean time, I think it's best that Naomi, Hannah, and I should go asking around town about this guy. Maybe one of the other locals will have some clues. Alex and Dave, maybe you two should take the first shifts and stand watch over Kanohi... you know, just in case that wacko actually finds his way here."

"Sounds like a reasonable plan to me," Cam nodded as he headed to the sacred spring and teleported again, "Stay in touch and give me a call if you need me."

Alex and David exchanged an uneasy shrug before Desmond glanced toward Naomi and Hannah. Taking one more look up at the raining skies above, he sighed, "Okay everyone... I hate to say it, but let's get to work."

* * *

The next day, a steady rain continued to fall as the Black Ranger Seth made his way through the dense green foliage of the ferns and bushes until he reached the edge of a familiar overgrown yard. After retreating from yesterday's battle with the Ocean Rangers, the former criminal spent a day on the loose and headed toward a place where he knew he might find some relative safety and space from Hine Nui's minions. Standing before him was the little modest house of his former girlfriend Luana. It was a plain unassuming little dwelling in the quiet rural outskirts of Honolulu. As the rains continued to come down and soak the now demorphed Ranger, Seth pushed forward and approached the door as another rumble of thunder echoed from the dark skies above.

As he reached for the door, he hesitated before knocking. It had only been a couple weeks ago that he had broken up with Luana. He had promised her that after one more bank robbery that they would have enough money to run away and start a new life somewhere else. She had been against it from the start, and the fact that he still ignored her and tried to rob that bank only ruined things further. Maybe the heist had gone to hell in a hand-basket, but with his new powers, things could be different. If he was able to accomplish that one task for the sea witch Hine Nui, then maybe he wouldn't have to leave Oahu after all. Maybe if he could just convince Luana.

He made a fist and knocked at the door several times until a young Hawaiian woman opened the door. Luana was a plain looking girl dressed in jean shorts and a purple t-shirt and she gasped in shock when she saw the disheveled form of Seth standing at her door.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come back!"

"Can I come in?" Seth asked while ignoring her question, "It's important."

Luana frowned and grew angrier with every passing moment, "Why the hell should I? You promised me that you wouldn't rob that bank Seth! You caused a whole lot of trouble and I didn't hear from you for weeks! I thought something terrible happened to you!"

The Black Ranger snorted quietly, "No. In fact something really good happened to me... something that can change our lives for good. If you let me in out of the rain, I'll tell you everything."

The young woman held her gaze on the scraggly man she had once called her boyfriend before giving a frustrated sigh and stepping aside to let him enter. "Why don't you go to the kitchen. I've got a pot of hot coffee that's almost ready. I'll be with you in a minute, okay?

The fugitive nodded and headed toward the kitchen, but not before the young woman walked into her living room and secretly pulled out her cell phone. As she heard Seth rummaging around, she quickly dialed an emergency number to the local police department.

* * *

A little while later, Seth sat at the kitchen table of the small house drinking a cup of hot coffee while Luana sat across from him, listening to the story of meeting the sea witch.

"So you see," Seth explained as he wrapped up his story, "I say we should throw our lot in with Hine Nui. If we can help her kill this Kanohi guy and take over the island, there won't be anything stopping her or us from having whatever we want here."

Luana gave him a careful look, "You really believe that? You really think we can trust this Hine Nui character? She's like some mythical goddess of death and evil and stuff."

Seth rubbed the dark Ocean Bracer around his wrist, "Why not? She's already given me great power. For once, we'll be able to tell people what to do and to live life on our own terms. No more scraping to get by and being humiliated by those who think they're better than us."

"I don't know about this… it all seems a little dangerous to me."

Seth reached out and took her hand from across the table, "Come on baby. I know I screwed things up last time, but this might be our one big chance to turn things around."

Luana wrinkled her features, "You do realize that you'd be up against the Power Rangers of this island. They kinda know what they're doing when it comes to stopping bad guys."

Seth shook his head, "I don't really plan on fighting them if I don't have to. If I can kill this Kanohi guy, they'll be leaderless... hell, maybe even powerless too. See? That way less people get hurt."

"You're still talking about having to kill someone though," Luana muttered as she glanced out the window again.

Seth caught her doing this and frowned, "Why do you keep looking at the window? Is someone there?"

Luana gave a nervous look and tried to rise, but the Black Ranger bolted up from his chair and went to the window.

"No! It's fine. Seth, sit down. We'll talk and…"

The criminal growled as he spotted three police cars pull up in the wet gravel driveway. Moments later, six armed police officers emerged into the rain and began making their way for the door.

"Damn! What are the cops doing here!" he exclaimed whirling on the startled girl, "Did you call them?"

Luana shook her head and stammered quickly, "I… what? No! Don't be crazy."

A blatant lie.

He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the back door, knocking over a few things in the kitchen, "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

As he dragged her out the door, Luana struggled and pulled back, "Stop it Seth, let go! You're hurting me! I don't want to go anywhere!"

He ignored her and continued toward the backyard until he found himself face to face with three policemen. They had drawn their weapons and stood their ground.

"All right son, give it up. Let the girl go and put your hands up," the police sergeant said firmly.

Seth froze and stared down the officers as the others regrouped into the yard, aiming their pistols at him.

"Come on friend. No one has to get hurt here," another officer said, "If you give up now, we can work something out."

The Black Ranger snorted in contempt as he kept a firm vice grip on Luana's wrist. Turning to the frightened woman, he said, "Don't go anywhere babe, I'll take care of this."

He let go of her roughly and raised his hands as if to surrender. As the officers closed in, he turned his wrist to reveal his dark Ocean Bracer and instantly morphed into the Black Ranger. The policemen froze in shock for a moment before several of them opened fire wildly with their guns.

It was no use. The evil Ranger was much too fast for them and moved through the dark shadows, effortlessly disabling each officer with a powerful punch or kick. In less than a minute, it was over and six injured police officers lay unconscious in the yard. Seth powered down before Haka's warlike spirit could take hold and he glanced about triumphantly to admire his handiwork, "Did you see that Luana? Pretty impressive, huh?"

When he didn't hear a reply, he turned back around to find the young woman lying on the ground, moaning in pain. To the Ranger's shock, Luana's thigh had begun to turn red as blood started to bubble up from a circular wound. When the policemen discharged their weapons, a stray bullet must have caught her in the leg.

The Black Ranger's heart began to race and he cursed loudly. He had a job to do, but he wasn't going to leave his ex-girlfriend to bleed out on her lawn either. Just one more complication to this whole mess. He hurried over to Luana's side and bent down to pick her up. First thing's first. He would get her inside, tie a tourniquet to slow the bleeding, then find someone who could treat her injury. For now, Hine Nui's own agenda would just have to wait a little bit longer.

* * *

 **Ka'ena: Hawaiian word for "Heat" / also the name of the brother to the goddess Pele**  
 **  
Kai: Hawaiian word and name for "Water"**


	45. Hopu: Captive

**Episode 23: Part 1  
**

Later that day at the downtown hospital in Honolulu, David Hosokawa glanced up and gave a comforting smile to the little crying boy who was sitting on the emergency room table in front of him. "That's it, you've been doing very good so far. Can you just be brave for me a little bit longer? I promise I'm almost done."

The little boy sniffled and clutched his mother's hand before giving a tentative nod to the young doctor.

"That's a good boy. I promise this won't hurt a bit," David said gently as he began to finish tying up the stitches on the boy's foot. "You just be sure to watch where you're running in the park, ok?"

It had been a busy day at the hospital's emergency room and the patients, nurses, and hospital techs just all seemed to go by in a blur that afternoon. Of course it probably didn't help that the Green Ranger was a little preoccupied by the recent appearance of a new evil Ranger, but he couldn't afford to let himself get too distracted at work. At least Desmond and the others were going around town patrolling for trouble today while Alex took her turn to stand guard over Kanohi back at the temple.

David gave a relieved sigh as he finally finished his work and patted the boy's head. Turning to the boy's mother, David adjusted his glasses and flashed a reassuring smile. "There, he should be good as new. Just be sure to keep the wound clean and use the ointment I prescribed."

The young mother gave her son a hug and nodded, "Thank you so much Doctor Hosokawa. We'll do just that."

As the mother and son got ready to be discharged from the emergency room ward, David glanced out the window and saw that the skies were still dark and overcast outside. The rain and thunderstorms had stopped for now, but the threatening gloom made him glad to be inside in a bright dry hospital.

As he began to wipe his hands and clean up his tools used to stitch up cuts, David froze when he heard a loud crash from just outside the first floor hospital ward. He turned his head and began to walk out into the hall when he heard several loud panicked cries for help and several hospital staff people running away. The doctor turned his head again and his heart stopped as he saw Seth, or rather the morphed Black Ocean Ranger striding down the central hallway of the hospital emergency room.

"Hey! Stop right there! Freeze!" two hospital security guards cried as they rushed from a side hall and tried to stop the evil Ranger. Seth gave an insulted sniff and easily stopped the clumsy grapple attempts of the guards. In one swift motion, Seth knocked out one guard with a karate chop and grabbed the other by the neck, quickly lifting him up into the air.

"I don't have time for this! I need a surgeon right now!"

The guard made a choking sound and stammered incoherently in fear before the Black Ranger simply tossed the man violently into a heavy cart of medical supplies, knocking him out in the process. From where he stood in the hallway, David contemplated reaching for his own Ocean Bracer, but there were too many people around. He tucked it away into his sleeve and made to retreat back behind the door to hide but Seth caught sight of David's white labcoat.

"Hey! You! Get back here!" Seth shouted as he charged down the hall.

David slammed the door and locked it, only to see the terrified faces of the child he had just treated and his mother.

"Doctor? What's going on out there?" the mother asked in fear.

David quickly ushered them to a corner of the room, "Get down and stay where you are, right now!"

No sooner had David gotten his patients to move when the door burst apart and fell to the floor, completely knocked off its hinges. There standing in the doorway was the Black Ranger.

"What do you want?" David shouted, trying to sound intimidating when he was inwardly trembling in fear. "Can't you see there are innocent people here?"

"I don't care about the patients," Seth growled striding forward, "I'm here for a doctor. You're a surgeon, right? You're coming with me!"

David stood his ground, "Like hell I am. Why would I help you?"

Seth snarled again and produced his harpoon weapon in a flash. In an instant, David saw the harpoon pointed directly at the fearful mother and child, cowering in the corner of the room. "Because if you don't, some of those innocent people may have to die."

David quickly moved to stand in the way of the harpoon, "Whoah! Hey! You don't have to do this!"

"You're right, I don't," Seth answered, "But I don't have time to argue either. I'm only going to say this one time doctor... grab your things and come with me, otherwise I start killing people... beginning with these two in the corner."

David's heart raced as he remained in place, shielding the two civilians. After a long pause, he looked about at the ruined room and then the harpoon pointed directly at his heart. "All right. I'll go... only if you promise not to hurt any patients."

Seth growled and lowered the harpoon slightly, "The clock is ticking doctor. Grab your things, now!"

* * *

Alexandra Coach glanced up towards the dark gloomy skies above and felt another gust of wind blow through the ruins of Ocean Point Temple. It was the kind of wind that signaled another coming storm and even if she'd be safe from it here, the idea of still being technically exposed made her a little uneasy.

The Pink Ocean Ranger sighed as she went about, dusting out the corners of the temple with some old palm tree leaves and using them as makeshift brooms. It was her turn to stand guard over Kanohi and she decided to do something productive to kill the boredom. As she worked to try and clean the ruins a little bit, she muttered under her breath, "And I thought my place was messy."

While she worked, the old kahuna watched her, his eyes curiously flickering with magic light. "You really do not have to stay and guard the temple Alexandra. I have access to powerful wards that protect the place."

Alex shrugged as she finished sweeping, "Better safe than sorry Kanohi... but I have been thinking, do you suppose there's any kind of magic power you can give us to counter the Black Ranger's?"

The tiki's eyes flickered for a moment before he sighed, "I fear it may not be that simple. While Hine Nui and her Ranger have domain over the aspects of Death and Darkness, both of those elements are natural parts of the world too. I simply cannot undo those powers just as Hine Nui cannot simply undo yours."

Alex pondered the words for a minute before scratching her chin, "True... but is there a possible way to maybe undo another part of her magic... like exorcising an evil spirit?"

If Kanohi had facial expressions, he would have given a curious one, "What are you suggesting Alexandra?"

The Pink Ranger gave a thoughtful smile, "Well... if we can't take Seth out of the fight, then we need to take the fight out of Seth. He's supposedly being possessed by this Haka character right? What if we remove Haka from Seth, leaving the Black Ranger either powerless or directionless?"

"The idea has merit," Kanohi admitted, "I just may have the power to do such a thing... but it would require luring Seth here."

Alex stopped a moment. It may have been a good idea, but it was also extremely risky. She would probably have to talk with the others first. Before she could speak again, Kanohi's fires intensified, "Alexandra, prepare to contact the others... David is sending me a distress signal from his bracelet. He says that it's the Black Ranger!"

* * *

It had been a long tedious day of pounding the pavement while patrolling the city for any further signs of danger. Admittedly, everyone was a little on edge from the threat of a new mysterious enemy, but it wasn't about to stop the Ocean Rangers from trying to learn more about the dark warrior who had confronted them. While the Red, Yellow, and Orange Rangers made their way around the gloomy streets of Honolulu, none of the other locals they talked to seemed to be able to offer any new information or sightings of Seth.

At this point, the three Rangers decided to take a snack break and head toward their usual hangout, the Silver Marlin restaurant. While Naomi parked her small car in a nearby parking lot,  
Hannah sat in the back seat, idly drumming her fingers and looking out the window at the threatening rain clouds above. She hadn't been paying much attention to Desmond and Naomi who were busy chattering to each other in their own Hawaiian language. Whatever it was they were saying, they both sounded uneasy.

As they walked into the restaurant together and took a seat at a corner booth, Desmond got up to go find Bailey and speak with her. While they waited, Hannah glanced over toward a discouraged looking Naomi who was sitting across the table. The Orange Ranger cleared her throat and tried to give a hopeful smile, "I guess today's been a bit of bust so far, huh?"

"Yeah kinda," Naomi shrugged, "Could be worse, I guess. We could be standing around and doing some boring guard duty at the temple like Alex right now."

After a long pause, the Yellow Ranger drummed her fingers on the table, "I wonder if Cam is having any luck tracking down this Seth guy. I don't think he should be working alone."

"Maybe he doesn't want to get distracted," Hannah said causing Naomi to frown slightly, "Honestly I don't blame him either."

Naomi's features tightened, "What are you getting at Hannah?"

"He told me what happened on Kauai," the Orange Ranger said, "Now it makes sense why things have been so awkward around the team lately."

Naomi gave an uncomfortable groan before looking away with a sigh, "Okay... since you two get along so well, am I going to get a lecture now for being some kind of spoiled indecisive bitch?"

"Nope," Hannah replied coolly as she sat back in her seat, "But I will tell you this. The sooner you make your mind up about all this, the better. Otherwise, it's going to seriously affect the whole team."

Naomi looked to her curiously, prompting the teen to continue, "Think about it. We've all got this serious threat of an evil Ranger right now. We won't be able to focus as well on dealing with this wacko if we're all divided and distracted, you know?"

"I get it Hannah... but things are... complicated."

The Orange Ranger shrugged good naturedly, "Nah. It's pretty simple really. Either you opt for a romantic relationship, or you wash that man right out of your hair."

Naomi raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"What? You've never heard that song?" Hannah said in mild indignation, "From the old musical South Pacific? Rodgers and Hammerstein?"

The Yellow Ranger shook her head again causing Hannah to sigh.

"Oh well... I just thought of it because there was a romantic subplot about some beautiful Pacific Island girl who falls in love with a white American military officer during World War II. Cultural differences get in the way, yadda yadda..."

"And how did it end?" Naomi asked curiously.

"Err... not so great for the guy," Hannah admitted sheepishly, "He gets killed in the war... but to be fair, he wasn't a Power Ranger... and I'm pretty sure Cam isn't going to be dying any time soon either."

Naomi raised her eyebrow toward Hannah before giving a long sigh, "You know... as much as I want to argue with you... what you said was pretty insightful. You must be taking a few pages out of Alex's book."

The younger girl smirked with a mild look of self satisfaction, and prepared to deliver another witty quip but the girls' conversation was cut short as Desmond returned to the table with a worried expression.

"Hey girls, we've got trouble. I just got a message from Kanohi. It seems the Black Ranger has struck again."

Naomi frowned, "What? Where?"

"Honolulu's central hospital..." Desmond answered grimly, "It sounds like Seth took a hostage, then escaped... the way it's looking, that hostage might be Dave."

The two girls exchanged a worried look and rose from the table, "If David's in trouble, then we have to go help him."

Desmond nodded again and headed quickly for the door, "Agreed. We've got no time to lose, so let's call Cam and Alex, then get a move on!"

* * *

By now, the skies had grown darker and a light rain began to drizzle as the cloud of teleportation shadows dissipated and David found himself in the grassy front yard of a small house. He guessed he was probably somewhere on the rural outskirts of the city. Nearby were three empty police cars... not a good sign, but he didn't have time to ponder it any further as he felt a rough shove from behind. Seth gave an impatient growl, "Get a move on, Doc."

David scowled and hefted a bag of medical supplies as he began to walk up the front steps of the house before opening the front door. When he stepped inside the small but modest home, he was shocked by what he saw. Sitting in the dining room were six police officers, handcuffed, gagged, and bound together by rope to keep them from escaping. Across the way in the main living room, a young Hawaiian woman lay on a table covered in blankets and cushions. As he neared, he looked in horror to see a tourniquet tied to her right thigh along with a hastily bandaged wound that was beginning to soak through with blood.

The Green Ranger looked to Seth and the dark warrior gestured to the table, "She's been shot in the leg. I need you to save her."

David blinked and hurried over to the table, "I don't know about this. We really should get her to a hospital emergency room. They have..."

"No... not right now. There are enough people after me."

David glanced over at the unconscious policemen tied on the floor, "Gee, you don't say."

Seth raised his harpoon again on David, "I don't need your attitude right now Doc. I need you to save Luana's life."

David gave the Black Ranger a hard look and opened his bag, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this to save this innocent girl's life."

The Green Ranger went back to his old army medic training, rolling up his sleeves and removing the gauze to examine the wound, "Okay... it doesn't look like a femoral artery was hit. That's good, but she may have early signs of going into shock. I can try to remove the bullet and stabilize the bleeding, but she needs to go the hospital after that, do you understand me?"

Seth scowled at David for a long moment causing David to lose his patience and raise his voice, "Damn it, I'm not joking around here! I'm dead serious!"

Seth let out an audible growl before giving a nod. "Fine."

The Black Ranger stopped as he glanced down and suddenly caught sight of David's green coral bracelet. David's heart stopped as Seth stood motionless and tightened his grip on the harpoon weapon. The two men stared each other down silently as a loud peal of thunder rumbled overhead and the rains intensified on the roof of the house. After taking a long breath, David said quietly, "We have to put that aside and deal with things later. Right now, you have to let me work. I need to save this girl."

Seth lowered his harpoon and nodded before turning to walk out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing with another rumble of thunder outside, "Do whatever you have to do doctor."


	46. Ai'e: Debt

**Episode 23: Part 2  
**

David took a deep breath and used his forearm to wipe away some sweat from his brow. This was not how he wanted to work when trying to save a patient's life... in a dimly lit room without hospital equipment and a potential killer under the same roof. Some distant thunder rumbled and after taking another calming breath, David went back to work. He had applied some local painkillers to Luana's leg and tried to clean the area around the wound as best he could. Right now, he had to work quickly to fish out the bullet and then stem the girl's bleeding.

As he dug into the girl's thigh with his probing tool and forceps, the Green Ranger wondered if his friends had gotten his distress call and if they were on their way. He hoped so, because there was no telling what Seth would do once David had helped Luana. For now, he was also grateful that his patient lay quietly. She was still conscious, but she was too tired to really care what was going on right now.

After several long minutes, the doctor recovered the bullet slug and removed it from Luana's leg. As he dropped the remains of the bullet in a small pan and began to work on stopping the bleeding, Seth returned to the room, unmorphed with two glasses of water. He eyed the doctor warily before approaching the table, "How's she doing Doc?"

"I removed the bullet, but it will take a while to slow the bleeding," David muttered distractedly, "Try to give her some water. We don't have any blood transfusion bags here so she's going to need some kind of liquid to help in the mean time."

The Black Ranger nodded and gave their delirious patient some water while David wiped his bloody hands again and continued to bandage the leg. As David applied some more direct pressure, he glanced over toward Seth who was gently helping the girl recline back, "And here I thought you were a bad guy."

"I'm not a complete monster," Seth fired back, "But I'm not one of you goody-goody Rangers either. Besides, I owe it to Luana. She had put up with a lot of my crap."

"Girlfriend?" David asked curiously.

"Ex."

"I see..." David muttered as he finished up his work. After a long pause, he looked to Black Ranger, "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're working for the sea witch Hine Nui, are you?

Seth growled and gestured to the little house, "Look around you man. I'm doing that to get away from all this. You call this living? You think I like doing all this?"

"I think you might have just made some bad decisions," David said quietly.

"I don't care what you think," Seth retorted quickly, "All I know is that Hine Nui offered me a way to get ahead in life and if that means killing your boss... well, then so be it."

"Do you really think Hine Nui is going to keep her word to you?" David sighed as he finished bandaging the leg, "I've been fighting her for a while now. Trust me, you don't keep good company."

"I have nothing left to lose now," Seth answered as he stroked Luana's clammy forehead, "Except for Luana. She left me when I finally decided to go rob that bank... I only wanted to try and make a better life for us... I was desperate to. I only hoped that I could make things right with her again."

"There had to have been a better way," David sighed sadly, showing some hint of pity for his captor. "There has to be now. Look at what's already happened from your helping Hine Nui."

"You just wouldn't understand doctor," Seth said darkly.

"It's not too late to stop all this," David offered, "You don't have to kill anybody and you don't have to do what Hine Nui says. Please, let us try to help you!"

Seth snorted and waved his hand dismissively, "I don't need your help Ranger. Hine Nui and Haka have given me everything I need to start again. Luana will see, and so will you and your fellow Rangers when I'm done."

David simply exhaled and shook his head, both in frustration and disappointment.

Seeing that David was done working, the Black Ranger strode over and grabbed David's forearm roughly, "My mind is made up doctor. What happened to Luana was an accident, but I can still turn things around. Now that she's been treated, you're going to help me finish the job I was sent to do. You're going to lead me to this Kanohi guy, right now."

David growled and began to grapple back against Seth, "Not a chance! I..."

Seth stopped and watched as the doctor gave a surprised look while gripping his wrist. David looked toward Seth with wide eyes, "Your wrist... I... I can't feel a pulse."

"What?" the Black Ranger snapped, "What kind of crap are you talking about?"

David ignored him and slowly reached out to feel at Seth's neck. His shocked expression didn't change. "Nothing. You don't have a pulse."

That was impossible. He couldn't have been dead... could he? Could it be possible that the sea witch's magic had done something to him?

Seth shoved David's hand aside, wondering for a moment whether or not he had already died when he went off that pier trying to escape from the police. "Stop telling me your lies!"

David stepped back in growing horror before the door burst open and several more sinister figures entered. This whole situation was quickly starting to become very messy and spiral out of control. Amid a thunderclap, the armored form of the mollusk warrior General Kuta stepped in from the rain along with the slimy faceless swamp hag Mujina. Before David could move to escape, the two generals quickly restrained him.

Seth froze and took a defensive stance toward the sudden intrusion of Hine Nui's generals, "You! What are you two doing here?"

Kuta narrowed his eyes in contempt and put David in a firm choke-hold, "We could ask you the same question. Why are you wasting your time here instead of doing Hine Nui's bidding? Now it becomes our problem to hunt you down!"

Seth snarled at the monstrous general, "The plan got messed up along the way, but I have things under control. I have the Green Ocean Ranger now."

"Wrong," Kuta corrected him while tightening his grip on the struggling David, "I have him now. I assume you'll have him lead you to Kanohi?"

"That was the plan, yes."

"Over my dead body!" David retorted giving a sharp elbow to the ribs of the monster causing Kuta to flinch for a moment.

"We can arrange that... but not yet," the mollusk said with a cruel laugh, "Mujina, would you care to help make our prisoner a little more, cooperative?"

The hag smiled and stepped forward, raising her magic staff toward David's face, "My pleasure."

The Green Ranger continued to struggle as Mujina began to chant in an ancient Polynesian dialect and cause dark wispy tendrils of magic to snake out and take hold of him. Despite his struggling, he felt his muscles relax while his mind began to grow foggy and disoriented. As intellectual and disciplined as he was, David's willpower was still no match for the ancient magic. After a long minute, he relaxed further and fell into what looked to be some state of deep hypnosis.

Mujina smiled again and waved her staff, "Good Green Ranger...your will now belongs to me. You will accompany Seth and show him the way to Kanohi's hiding place. Is that understood?"

David nodded and remained subdued in his magic induced stupor. Before Mujina ended her dark sorcery, General Kuta grabbed David's Ocean Bracer and quickly removed it from his wrist. Seth turned his eyes on the mollusk, "What do you think you're doing?"

Kuta sneered, "Aiding you in your mission, you fool. The other Rangers will likely be trying to track down their friend here. I will lead them elsewhere... perhaps into a battalion of my own troops. They'll be so distracted, they won't even be able to stop you from assassinating Kanohi."

The Black Ranger clenched his fist. He had to admit that it was a pretty good diversion plan. "All right... we'll do things your way."

Kuta shoved David back toward Seth and pounded the end of his halberd into the floorboards of the house, "The pieces are in place Black Ranger. See that you don't fail Queen Hine Nui and do not think of returning until you've completed your mission."

Seth scowled at Kuta and watched as the two commanders left the house and walked back into the storm outside. He glanced over to the form of Luana lying on the table and then to the tied up policemen in the dining room.

In a way, Kuta was right. There was no more time to waste. It had been long enough and there was no doubt more cops would be on their way soon. He would go drop off the girl at the nearest hospital, then go with David to kill Kanohi. He could already feel Haka's restless spirit in the corner of his mind, howling for action and blood. The time would come soon enough, but for now, he had to be a little more patient.

As he stood in the darkness, planning his next move, Seth couldn't help but wonder about what David had said, about his lack of a pulse. Was he even still alive? Because if he wasn't, then what good was all this? What kind of monster would he become?

A twinge of doubt and fear began to cloud Seth's mind. Could it be true that the sea witch Hine Nui was only using him as pawn? It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to do such a thing. Then again, he had super powers now and if that really was the case, then he decided he'd make Hine Nui pay for underestimating him later. Right now there were other priorities.

He walked over to the table and picked Luana up before turning to the mind controlled David, "Come on. We're making a quick stop to the hospital. Then, we're going to pay your boss a little visit."

* * *

Meanwhile, the other Ocean Ranger gathered back together for a quick meeting at Ocean Point Temple. As they stood around Kanohi, they each shared their findings and prepared to organize a plan to help save David. After Alex explained her idea about exorcising the spirit Haka, she waited as the others thought it over.

"I don't know Alex… it sounds really risky," Naomi said, "We'd be putting Kanohi in great danger."

"Then again, it's not like we have a better weapon or power to fight him with right now," Hannah argued.

Desmond crossed his arms and gave a conflicted expression, "It's really not a bad idea, especially when you figure there are five of us and one of him. Right now, I think we should put that on the back-burner and focus on helping David."

"Agreed," the Blue Ranger chimed as he stepped forward while holding a sheet of paper, "If we're going to find Dave, then we need to know where this Seth guy might be."

Hannah raised a skeptical eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Were you even able to dredge up any info? I thought you military intelligence guys were more involved in scoping out the forces of other countries."

"We are," Cam answered with a fox-like smile, "But you can find out anything if you know how to look for it. Admiral Taylor put me in touch with an old friend of his over at NCIS. His contact there did a little digging around and was able to help… some agent by the name of Gibbs."

"NCIS?" Desmond asked curiously.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Services," Cam answered quickly, "They're kinda like Navy law enforcement."

Hannah's eyes lit up, "Cool! Does this mean we get to go all CSI Honolulu now?"

Cam rolled his eyes gently and continued, "According to Agent Gibbs, there wasn't much to go on. Our guy Seth is a native of the island, 28, former security guard for the first national bank here. He's suspected of trying to rob that very bank before going missing two weeks ago. The cops claimed they chased him off a pier but never found the body so he was presumed dead."

Naomi blanched, "You don't think he might actually be dead, do you? Maybe Hine Nui did something about that?"

Alex crossed her arms, "It's always possible, but the more important question is, where do we find him?"

"As far as we know, Seth was living with his girlfriend in a small house out at the edge of the city limits," Cam said handing off the paper, "If he's got any possible safe haven, that address is where we should start."

Kanohi's voice rumbled from nearby, interrupting their debate, "We have a problem Rangers. I've finally picked up the presence of David's bracelet on the other side of the island, away from Seth's home… however it's become stationary."

Hannah frowned, "Maybe he got away. Or maybe he's hiding? You don't think he may be hurt, do you?"

A genuinely worried look quickly flickered across Alex's features before she hardened them again. Desmond caught the look and put an encouraging hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. Dave is always fussing and looking out for our safety. Now it's our turn to save him."

The Pink Ranger gave a grateful nod before Desmond turned back toward their mentor, "Kanohi, will you be able to help teleport us as close as you can to Dave?"

"I can do that," the tiki replied, using his own magic to enchant the sacred spring within the temple.

"All right gang, what are we waiting for?" Desmond called leading the group forward, "Doc needs us right now, so let's go bring him back home."

One by one, the Ocean Rangers teleported away, silently hoping that they would be able to reach their captured friend in time.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **I admit, I really haven't watched a whole lot of NCIS, but I just had to throw that little connection and meta humor in for fun. I guess it's only a matter of time before Five-O gets teased too, right? The plot of the Black Ranger mini-saga will be wrapping up in the following episode so stay tuned and lots of thanks to those still reading!**


	47. Umiki: Trap

**Episode 24: Part 1  
**

The company of Nightmarcher warriors stirred restlessly while the Green Hag Mujina cast an uneasy look toward her fellow general. The mollusk warrior Kuta paid her little mind and kept his eyes fixed calmly on the dark stormy skies above. While he waited, he idly turned David's green Ocean Bracer around in his hand.

"You really think the Rangers will fall for this?" Mujina finally asked as she walked up beside the warrior.

"They'll come," Kuta answered as he fixed the bracelet to his own shell armor, "Considering how closely knit the Ocean Rangers are, if one of them is in peril, you can guarantee the rest will come to save that one."

The Green Lady grimaced and took a moment to glance about her surroundings one more time. The Benthic warriors stood about the Ewa Forest Reserve on the north central end of the island. While they stood near a small river that flowed through the park, the generals hoped that being away from the beaches would rob the Ocean Rangers of some advantages in battle. The fact that they were also in a place where the Green Ranger's Earth element would be stronger, only made their trap that much more convincing.

After waving the other troops into their hiding places, the two generals waited until the waters of the nearby river began to shimmer with light. Moments later, five young people emerged and fanned out into the clearing of the tropical forest preserve. To their complete surprise, the Rangers caught sight of both Kuta and Mujina calmly standing in their way.

Desmond scowled and clenched his fists. "Hey! What are you two lowlifes doing here? Where is Dave?"

General Kuta wore a bored expression and scoffed as he dangled the Green Ocean Bracer from his gloved hand, "Waiting for you of course. It's only natural you'd come for your friend."

"Cut the crap Kuta! What have you two done with Dave?" Alex snarled as she tensed up and took a fighting stance. "If you hurt him…"

Mujina's lip slowly curled into a taunting smile, "Your friend is unharmed Pink Ranger, but he's a bit indisposed of at the moment. As we speak, he's leading the Black Ranger to your base so that he can assassinate Kanohi for us."

The Rangers' faces drained of color and they stood in momentary shock. Hannah whirled around back toward the water, "Come on, we have to get back to the river and…"

She was cut off as a large group of Nightmarcher warriors emerged from their hiding place to block off their escape route.

"Damn! We walked right into a trap!" Desmond exclaimed with a hint of fear in his voice while the undead minions closed in.

Kuta laughed again, "It's hopeless Rangers. You can't hope to fight two battles at the same time."

"We've got to get back to the temple," Naomi said grimly as she turned to face the zombie horde.

"First we need to recover Dave's Ocean Bracer," Cam added before glancing toward the Red Ranger. "We don't have to stand and fight Desmond. Let's run and gun right now."

Desmond nodded, "Okay, we snag the Bracer and make a run for it. Everyone ready?"

The five Rangers raised their bracelets and morphed in a heartbeat, then summoned their weapons just as quickly. Desmond took a wide stance against Kuta and called, "Cam! Clear our escape route!"

To the Red Ranger's right, Hannah readied her own hook whip, "Desmond, I'm going to make a move on that Bracer. Cover me!"

He nodded and drove his spear into the ground, calling up a volcanic fissure which began spraying hot lava toward the mollusk warrior. As Kuta raised his guard and used his armor to block the elemental attack, Hannah whipped her hook and snared the overhanging branch of a nearby tree and used it to swing forward toward her enemy.

No sooner had Kuta lowered his guard, the young Orange Ranger swung by him and snatched the Green Ocean Bracer away while delivering a kick as she passed.

"No!" Kuta snarled as he rolled off the kick and recovered to his feet just in time to meet another charge from Desmond. While Hannah got clear, she used her elemental powers to bend the light and create several identical images of herself in order to confuse Kuta.

"Get back here you little trickster!" the mollusk roared.

Meanwhile, Naomi locked in single combat with Mujina. As the Yellow Ranger nimbly dodged and tumbled under blows, Mujina kept her on the defensive with whirling staff attacks and magical blasts.

"Stay still and let me kill you quickly girl," Mujina cackled as she smashed the ground with her staff and called up a sweeping wave of dark magic, which Naomi barely dodged, "I had missed my chance to end you and your father in Hanauma Bay!"

The Ranger furiously gripped her two serrated hand clubs and deflected another blow before somersaulting into an offensive stance. "I didn't forget that either you hag, but you're going to have to wait a little longer!"

Naomi channeled her wind element and hurled her two whirling clubs but the Green Lady deflected them both high and away with her staff. The witch scoffed, "What a pitiful effort."

The Yellow Ranger changed to a defensive stance as Mujina surged forward trying to do in her unarmed foe. Before Naomi could counterattack, Mujina enchanted the ground under their feet to momentarily become deformed and uneven, which caused the Yellow Ranger to stumble off balance. Taking the momentary opportunity, Mujina hooked her staff under Naomi's legs and knocked her over to the ground.

"Now I'll finish you off for good," Mujina smiled as she loomed over the downed Ranger with her glowing weapon, "Any last words?"

"Yeah... duck!"

Mujina turned around in surprise but it was too late. The two whirling clubs which had been spinning with wind energy had boomeranged back to their owner. Before she could react, Mujina was smashed in the face with both clubs and dropped to the ground, clutching her head.

"Now we're even," Naomi snorted to the swamp hag as she caught sight of Desmond and Hannah running toward her while making their escape.

At the other end of the battlefield Cam readied his blade against the incoming crowd of Nightmarchers before turning to the Pink Ranger, "Hey Alex, you up for a little surfing?"

Alex smirked and exchanged a fist bump with him. "Lead the way!"

The Blue Ranger charged forward and slashed a path through the undead minions before charging his blade with watery energy. As he attacked again with wider whirling strikes, a jet of water erupted from the nearby stream and snaked through the troops to follow the movements of the sword like a ribbon on the baton of a rhythmic gymnast.

While the powerful ribbon of water swept aside Nightmarchers, Alex gracefully tumbled through the snaking elemental attacks to take down the zombies who remained. As she moved in an almost unearthly dance along with the water snake, she smashed the foot soldiers aside with her glowing coral knuckle dusters.

When she spun to a halt on her heel, the water snake crashed down violently around her and cleared a path through the rest of the horde. As the undead warriors scattered in momentary disarray, Alex saw the other Rangers regroup and wave her toward the river. Hannah tossed Desmond the Green bracelet and called to her friend, Alex! We got the Bracer! Let's go!"

The Pink Ranger nodded and followed, but not before reaching for her own Ocean Bracer. She didn't know if she'd be in time, but she had to try and get an early warning off, "Kanohi, change of plans! You might have to get that exorcism spell ready... and fast!"

"No! Don't let them get away!" Kuta roared while the confused Benthic forces scrambled in desperation to regroup.

As the Ocean Rangers charged into the small river and opened a portal back to the temple, Naomi turned to the Red Ranger, "Desmond, you and Cam go ahead and protect Kanohi. We'll cover our retreat and be right behind you."

Desmond tilted his head in slight confusion, "I... are you sure you girls will be ok?"

"Now's not the time for chivalry!" Alex called shoving him into the portal home, "Go!"

Without another word, the two men dove into the waters and teleported back to the temple leaving the three girls on the edge of the water, facing down the regrouped monsters. Without the Red and Blue Rangers, Naomi now stepped forward to take the lead, "Ok girls... you ready to light these monsters up?"

While the three female rangers began to channel their elements again, Kuta aimed his halberd forward, "What are you waiting for? Charge! Kill them!"

No sooner had the monsters charged when the three girls unleashed a devastating combined attack. The horde of Nightmarchers disappeared in a violently swirling cloud of yellow wind, pink light, and orange sun rays.

Both Kuta and Mujina shielded their eyes and growled as the three female Rangers remained in the fading light.

"You may have fought your way out of the snare," Mujina sniffed, "But it was all in vain. It's already too late for Kanohi."

With that, the two generals turned and made their escape with a sinister laugh.

"There's no time to lose. Let's go!" Naomi urged her friends as the three girls dove back into the waters to teleport home. As much as they hated to admit it, they were beginning to fear that perhaps Mujina may have been right after all.


	48. Ho'oku'u: Release

**Episode 24: Part 2 (Ho'oku'u: Release)**

 **A/N: Because you readers are so awesome, today is a bonus double-post starting with Chapter 47 titled Umiki: Trap. Enjoy everyone :)**

* * *

A bright flash of lightning lit up the skies while dark storm clouds continued churning overhead. As the light faded, two dark figures made their way to the edges of Ocean Point Temple, the sounds of their movement dampened by that of the steady rainfall. After pushing aside some low hanging ferns and brush, Seth reached the edge of the temple ruins and stayed behind the cover of the vegetation. The morphed Black Ranger waited silently, scanning the place for any signs of movement.

The rain continued to splash against his helmet and Seth wiped his visor clear before turning back to David who was following close behind. The hypnotized Green Ranger couched down silently and waited patiently for new orders, the expression on his face still as blank as it was earlier.

They were close and Seth's knees trembled in nervous anticipation. Hine Nui had warned him that Kanohi was a crafty old magician, so he had to keep his guard up. Hopefully with the Green Ranger leading the way, Seth would be free to just walk right in unopposed. Giving a grunt, he gestured David forward, "Go ahead… make sure the way is clear."

David got up without speaking and quickly walked forward, crossing over into the edges of the ruins. When David stopped and turned about expectantly, Seth began following the same path until he ran headfirst into a magical barrier of shimmering light. The Black Ranger growled and pounded his fist against the force field while David stood silently watching.

This must have been one of Kanohi's wards to protect the temple, Seth thought to himself while he punched the barrier a few more times. He wasn't surprised that David had passed through without trouble, and he figured that perhaps it was Hine Nui's dark magic that was being repelled. If that was the case, then he decided he might try to enter as David had… without magic at all. No doubt the protective spells could repel a monster, but it didn't account for a regular human foe either.

The Black Ranger powered down and approached the barrier again, this time passing through without any resistance. David remained stone-faced while Seth suppressed a smug smirk and morphed again. Now he was within the temple grounds and ready to carry out his mission. He summoned his harpoon and waved David forward as they quietly crept forward around ruined walls toward the center of the old crumbling temple.

Another low rumble of thunder echoed through the dark temple as the pair of assassins turned a corner and made their way to the central chamber and spotted the great tiki Kanohi. To their surprise, Kanohi's eyes and mouth were already lit with a threatening red fire, casting ominous shadows along the walls nearby.

Moments later, the torches around the central chamber sprung to life with bright light and robbed Seth of his shadowy escape routes. The Black Ranger tensed up and looked about quickly before turning to address the great glowing tiki.

"You trespass on sacred ground Black Ranger," Kanohi said in a deep threatening voice which boomed on the temple grounds, "I ask you to lay down your arms and leave in peace."

Seth stared at the sight of the supernatural being, before taking a breath and trying to swallow his fear, "If you really are the great Kanohi, then you know I can't do that. You must know why I'm here."

"You are here because my enemy Hine Nui has poisoned your mind," Kanohi replied sternly, "As long as you stand here with evil intentions in your heart, you are not welcome here."

"No kahuna… you are the one who has overstayed your welcome," Seth snarled in defiance while raising his harpoon. "I am not afraid of your sorcery… I have plenty of help to deal with you."

With that, Seth let down his mental barriers and let the warlike spirit of Haka take over. With their combined voice, the Black Ranger tightened the grip on his weapon, "It's been too long Kanohi. I hardly recognize you now."

"Haka… so you have returned," Kanohi answered, "You dare show your face here? As a traitor who already died in shame?"

Seth gave a mocking laugh with Haka's voice, "You are no longer in any position to judge me Kanohi. Now that I'm back, I will have my revenge on you and undo the legacy you left behind."

"You've failed once Haka. You will fail again."

The possessed Black Ranger roared in fury and prepared to charge when two more Ocean Rangers teleported into the temple from the sacred spring, morphed and armed for battle.

"That's far enough Haka!" Desmond growled as he readied his spear, "If you want Kanohi, you're going to have to go through us first."

Cam summoned his own blade and took a defensive stance beside the Red Ranger, "This is your last chance Seth. We don't want to have to destroy you."

From behind the two Ocean Rangers, glowing motes of light began to take shape and rotate slowly around Kanohi while the old shaman began to prepare a powerful spell of his own.

The Black Ranger tilted his head back and began to laugh in amusement. "We'll just see if you can back up that threat when dealing with one of your own."

He gave a signal and David sprung forward to attack his own friends. The Red and Blue Rangers gasped in shock as Desmond clashed head on with Seth while Cam turned his blade aside to grapple against David. As a fierce two-on-two melee erupted in the center of Ocean Point Temple, Kanohi kept focusing on his magic spell, causing the swirling motes of light to intensify.

"Damn it Dave! It's me! Snap out of it bud!" Cam called desperately as he grappled against David and did everything he could to keep from hurting his unmorphed friend, "What are you doing?"

The Green Ranger remained silent and continued to struggle until Cam twisted his friend's arm and threw a restrained punch to the side of David's head, knocking him out momentarily. The Blue Ranger bent down and put an apologetic hand on his ally's forehead, "I'm really sorry Doc. Hope you can forgive me for that later."

Meanwhile Desmond and Seth exchanged fierce blows with their weapons nearby. Amid the tangle of their polearms, Seth moved to slip by Desmond while trying to thrust at the tiki, but the Red Ranger parried the blow aside and the two fighters struck each other instead.

"Get out of my way Red Ranger" the Black Ranger growled as Haka's red eyes glowed menacingly from behind the visor of Seth's helmet, "You cannot stop me."

"Not until you let Seth go!" Desmond shouted, "Face it Haka, you don't actually care about him! You just need the physical vessel."

From within the Black Ranger's split consciousness, Seth's will wavered as the intentions of his supposed allies were again put into question. Meanwhile, Kanohi began going through the final incantations of his powerful exorcism spell.

"Lies!" Haka snarled as he raised his harpoon and countered a firebolt from Desmond with a burst of his own shadowy magic. The ancient warrior charged forward and then surprised Desmond by planting his harpoon in the ground to pole-vault right over the Red Ranger. As Desmond turned, Seth beat him to the punch and batted him aside with the butt end of his weapon, causing the Red Ranger to skid on the ground toward the sacred spring.

Seth turned back to Kanohi, "Now it's just you and me kahuna!"

As Seth began to gather together all the dark energy he could muster into his weapon, the three female Rangers teleported in from the waters of the spring to assist their friends. To their shock, they saw the temple was already lit up with magic while both David and Desmond lay on the ground. Hannah was the first to reach out and start helping Desmond rise before shouting a warning, "Kanohi! Look out!"

"It's over for you wizard!" Haka's voice bellowed as the Black Ranger unleashed a powerful finishing bolt of energy from his harpoon. The others held their breath for a split second before Cameron rushed in and tried to guard their mentor with his sword raised. The Blue Ranger attempted to counter slash against Seth's attack, forming a swirling shield of reflective water.

The two forces collided violently and the watery shield deflected most of the attack aside, scattering surging bolts of shadowy magic into the surrounding temple walls and floors. The rest of the blast shattered the shield and swept the Blue Ranger aside, violently throwing him into a nearby wall. As Cam hit the wall and collapsed to the floor, he demorphed and lay motionless.

"No!" Haka screamed in fury from having missed. That instant gave the kahuna just the time he needed to finish his exorcism ritual and fire the motes of light at the Black Ranger.

"No! What are you doing to me?" Haka screamed as he flailed about amid the storm of searing energy cast by the tiki. The other Rangers watched in wonder as a brilliant light filled the temple and the Black Ranger's suit began to evaporate away. As the shadowy energy coalesced back together again into the spirit of Haka, the freed unmorphed body of Seth tumbled to the ground underneath, freed of Hine Nui's influence.

Meanwhile, both Naomi and Hannah darted over in concern toward the edge of the temple where the fallen Blue Ranger lay. They gently rolled him over and to their relief, saw that he was still alive and breathing. He was likely injured, but thankfully only knocked unconscious for now.

Naomi pulled off her helmet and lovingly put her forehead to his, "Thank God you're ok."

Hannah's attention was pulled away as she heard Desmond sharply call her name from nearby, "Hannah! Alex! With me!"

Both the Pink the Orange Rangers regrouped around Desmond as they faced off against the shadowy form of Haka. The disembodied spirit took the rough form of a Black Ranger and growled hatefully.

"You think taking away my physical form will stop my wrath?"

"No, but I think it'll make it a whole lot easier to kick your ass now," Desmond retorted, igniting his spearhead.

The shadowy Black Ranger screamed in rage and made one last charge, attempting to envelop the three Rangers and surge past them toward Kanohi. Desmond bravely stood his ground and thrust his flaming spear into the entity while Alex and Hannah backed him with their combined elemental powers.

As the forces of Creation and Death clashed violently against each other, the three Rangers withstood several debilitating pushes from Haka's vengeful spirit. After another push, the Pink and Orange Rangers were thrown backward before Desmond was brought to his knees. He gritted his teeth and pushed back, causing his spear to glow brighter.

"No! This can't be..." Haka gasped as the light from the weapon began to slowly vaporize him. "You can't possibly rebuke the forces of death... not unless... you were of the royal bloodline."

Desmond frowned in momentary confusion but ignored the comment, pushing harder against the dying shadow. Before Desmond could speak again, another bright bolt flew from Kanohi and destroyed the spirit of Haka, completely banishing him forever.

The Red Ranger fell backward in relief, gasping for air before he noticed David slowly rise from his corner of the chamber. The doctor groggily shook his head and felt the lingering magic of Kanohi undo the spell Mujina had placed on him. With another grunt, David staggered forward and moved toward the downed body of Seth which lay limply on the ground. To his surprise, Alex rose to her feet and quickly caught him in both a relieved hug while she helped him walk over toward the former Black Ranger.

As David bent down over the dark haired man, Desmond came to join him and returned Green Ocean Bracer. Seth lay with his eyes half open, his breathing now grown shallow. He glanced slowly to David and gave a weak smile, "You think you can see one more patient today?"

David snorted in mild amusement and put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. Seth wheezed again, "You were right Doc... I made a lot of bad decisions... I shouldn't have fallen in with Hine Nui."

"You didn't have a whole lot of say in the matter," David replied solemnly, "Without Haka's spirit to sustain you, I don't think there's anything I can do."

Seth raised his hand and revealed the black and purple coral stones of his dark Ocean Bracer were cracked and burnt out, "So this is it huh? I'm gonna die in shame like Haka did... again."

"No. You're not a complete monster," David answered gently, echoing Seth's words, "You made sure Luana would survive. That still counts for something."

Seth nodded, "Then let me really make it count now. I'm sorry Doc. I'm sorry for what I did to you and for trying to hurt your friends too. Promise me you'll make sure Luana gets well... and that you tell her the truth... that despite all the bad things I did, it was because I loved her?"

David nodded, "I will."

Seth gave a satisfied look and gently turned his head aside before going limp. Desmond and Alex exchanged a sympathetic expression while David somberly looked over the dead man. As a doctor, he had been around death many times, but this tragic casualty of war against the sea witch only strengthened his resolve to preserve life wherever he could.

Alex put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Dave... are you ok?"

The Green Ranger took a long drawn out breath before nodding and slowly rising to his feet. Glancing over to Hannah and Naomi hovering over their other casualty, David gave a grunt and began to slowly approach, "Seth is at peace now, but Cam is still hurt. I need to make sure he'll be okay."

The Red and Pink Rangers exchanged another look and glanced toward the body of Seth before they followed the doctor to help with his last patient of the day.

* * *

True to his word, David went to go look after Luana at the hospital later that week. Once she had recovered enough, he decided to tell the story of everything that happened and he decided it would be best if Desmond, Alex, and Hannah accompanied him to lend their support. As David sat in the hospital room speaking with the other girls, Desmond stood off to the side, looking idly out the window. Haka's words about a "royal bloodline" and the power to ward off death had troubled him. What did it all mean? Was Haka just being his usual confused and insane self, or were there more to his words?

For now, the Red Ranger decided to set that trouble aside and focus on helping David. He could save those questions for Kanohi on another day.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the beach house, Cam sat in his bedroom waiting patiently at the foot of his bed while Naomi finished taping up his forearm. Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows filling the room with a warm golden glow. Aside from a taped up left leg, and some scrapes on his face, Cam gingerly held a cold pack to his bare side where an ugly bruise had begun to form.

"Well Cameron Monroe, I have to say... you look like a complete wreck," Naomi sighed as she finished taping his arm.

"Occupational hazard..." he muttered with a shrug, "Honestly Naomi... I'll be fine. Between all the fussing from Dave, Hannah, and you, people might start to think I'm a cripple or something."

The Yellow Ranger rose and walked over toward his desk chair to retrieve his shirt, "I'm sorry, but I can't help it... especially after you almost got yourself killed to protect Kanohi. It scared me, and made me feel really upset."

He glanced over to her curiously as she continued, "You know... seeing you get hurt like that made me start to realize a lot of things... like how scared I'd be to lose you... or how I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I never took that opportunity for us to be together."

"Naomi... I don't know what to say."

She shook her head with a gentle smile, "You don't have to say anything Cam. You told me everything you needed to on Kauai. Now it's time for me to be honest with myself and tell you what's really in my heart. You had asked me what I wanted on Kauai and I..."

She stopped for a moment and caught sight of an ornamental Hawaiian bracelet on his desk, one that resembled the one her mother wore and likely the one she had pointed out to him not two months ago at the city street fair.

She took the piece of jewelry and held it up curiously, "What is this?"

"Oh... that," Cam answered sheepishly, "Um... I sorta meant to give that to you as a Christmas gift, but with all your family stuff going on... and then this... I figured I'd just wait for a better time, you know?"

She put the bracelet down and gave a warm smile as she walked across the room toward him.

"Uh... hey, you forgot my shirt," he pointed out but he was immediately silenced as she gently took his cheeks in her hands and bent down to give him a deep warm kiss. Having been caught in an awkward position, the two lost their balance and gently fell backwards together on the bed, still kissing and caressing, happy to just be in each other's arms.

As Cam began to plant a line of kisses down her neck, Naomi slowly broke away and sat up for a moment wearing a worried look, "Wait... can we hold on a minute?"

Cam flopped back down on his pillow with a mild groan, "Oh geez Naomi... what is it this time?"

"Well... it's just that I was feeling a little nervous just now... I mean, I've never... uh..."

"What? Had sex with a guy before?" he asked.

She nodded sheepishly.

"Oh... well, that's good," Cam smiled, trying to lighten the mood with a playful laugh, "Because neither have I."

She gave a mild huff and slapped his chest gently, "Cameron! Be serious here!"

"Okay, relax... I'm not going to pressure you," he assured her, "There's no need to rush anything. If you don't want to..."

"I never said I didn't want to," Naomi replied with a slight hint of a suggestive smile, "I just... needed a moment to take it all in."

"You're sure? I mean... I'm still pretty banged up right now. We could always wait..."

The Blue Ranger got his reply when he found a yellow spaghetti-strap tank top thrown over his face. "I think we've both waited long enough, don't you?"

The two friends-turned-lovers shared a genuine laugh before Cam drew Naomi into another passionate kiss. She never actually finished her original sentence to tell him what she wanted before, but that was okay. At that moment, he had a pretty good guess what that was and he didn't plan on disappointing her either.


	49. Pu'iwa: Surprise

**Episode 25: Part 1  
**

It had been almost three weeks since the harrowing battle at Ocean Point Temple. Hine Nui had come close to succeeding in her plot to kill Kanohi, and the Ocean Rangers had fought one of their most challenging foes yet, an undead Black Ranger made from the sea witch's magic. After having emerged victorious once more, the Ocean Rangers all took some time to enjoy another blissful stretch of relative peace and quiet... until that morning.

The sound of a door closing loudly roused Cameron from his sleep. The Blue Ranger gave a sleepy yawn and glanced out the bright window of his bedroom where the light of the early Saturday morning sun was streaming in. Just outside the window, a few brightly colored birds were chirping a cheerful tune and hopping about the windowsill. Suddenly, the sound of more shuffling downstairs made him pause and hold his breath. Something wasn't right. Desmond had said that he was going to be out fishing today and the only other person who would be in the house was presently accounted for.

At that very moment Naomi was curled up beside him, pinning his arm to the bed and sleeping quietly. Whoever was downstairs, wasn't supposed to be there and was likely up to no good.

Giving a mild sigh of exasperation, Cam pried his numb arm free and awkwardly reached for the night-stand drawer. As he rolled over and threw a shirt on, he grabbed his pistol before seeing Naomi stir. The Yellow Ranger gave a disappointed groan and reached out blindly looking for him before she groggily sat up in bed, her hair mussed and her eyes bleary, "Cam... what's going on?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep."

The Yellow Ranger blinked in confusion before they both froze and heard a loud clattering of pots and pans in the kitchen. Upon seeing the gun, she gave him a pointed frown, "Not in the house."

"But..." Cam protested before giving a defeated sigh and removing the ammo clip.

Naomi quickly rolled out of bed, barely looking more decent than the Blue Ranger and summoned one of her Ranger hand clubs. As she moved for the door, Cam gently grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him pointing to his own unloaded weapon, "Seriously? Gonna bring a club to gunfight?"

She rolled her eyes with a mild huff and gently pushed him out the door. The two crept quietly downstairs to investigate the sounds and stopped just short of the kitchen. After exchanging one more nod, Cam burst through the door leveling his gun, "Hands up! Don't move!"

To their shock, Naomi's younger cousin Leilani Overahani stood by the stovetop and yelped in fright. A pancake went flying across the room and stuck on the wall as the startled girl raised her arms and dropped the skillet pan to the floor.

"Lili? I... what are you doing?" Naomi cried in relief as Cam lowered his weapon.

The teenager sputtered in shock for a moment while trying to regain her wits, "Naomi! I... I'm sorry! I came by and you weren't around... so I decided to surprise you and make breakfast and..."

She stopped and took a long look at the two half-dressed Rangers standing side by side. Her mind went into overdrive and she put two and two together before her cheeks turned a slight shade red, "And now I feel really awkward. I uh... wasn't interrupting something, was I?"

"Oh boy... you didn't tell Leilani about us... did you?" Cam sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

The Yellow Ranger slapped her own forehead and quickly pulled her younger cousin to the table in embarrassment, "Um, tell you what Lili... why don't you just sit down and join us for breakfast, hmm? We have a lot to talk about."

"I'll bet," Leilani sniggered causing Cam to frown slightly back in the direction of his girlfriend.

"I'll bet you wish you had let me load the gun now," he muttered sarcastically.

Naomi gave him a narrow look before turning back to her cousin, "Don't mind him. He's usually kind of a grump in the morning. Now, what would you like to eat?"

* * *

Later that day, Desmond Waihee made his way home after a long day of fishing out on the open ocean. After all the recent events and the ferocious battles he had fought, it was nice to spend some time out on the open waters with just his thoughts, his boat Luna, and the rolling waves. As he went about his work, the Red Ranger couldn't help but laugh thinking how much his life had changed since becoming a Power Ranger.

Before, he had just been a humble fisherman living a lonely simple life. Now here he was, a great hero who regularly fought off monsters to defend the island. On one hand, he had met lots of new people over the past year and become good friends with his fellow Rangers too. He was staying in a nice home, and he even had a pretty girlfriend who was an excellent cook to boot. He should have been perfectly content, but one thing still bothered him... the curiosity of his possible heritage hinted by the dark warrior spirit Haka.

Before he set course for the harbors of Honolulu, Desmond made a stop in to Ocean Point Temple to speak with Kanohi alone. After anchoring his little ship off the coast, he went to explain his concerns to the wise old tiki in the ruins. After relating his thoughts, Desmond waited patiently while the kahuna carefully considered his words.

After a long drawn out silence, the tiki finally spoke, "I can understand why you would be confused Desmond. You were not the only one to witness this power. Long ago, before the war with Hine Nui, it was said that the chieftain of my own tribe possessed a great power… one that could ward off the powers of death itself."

Desmond stared in wonder as Kanohi continued, "No one knows exactly where the powers originated, but there was a story of how the chief's son lay dying of a terrible illness and with sheer prayer and will, the chief laid his hands on the boy to keep the powers of Death away."

"What happened to the son?" Desmond asked curiously.

Kanohi gave a fond little chuckle, "He became the first Red Ocean Ranger... the warrior who Haka recognized as _Ka'ena_."

Desmond's eyes grew wide in disbelief, "You don't think that I may have some connection to all that… do you?"

Kanohi's voice remained grave and level, "It was said that the power carried through the chief's bloodline and helped the first Red Ocean Ranger to defeat Hine Nui. I admit, the chances of you being related are very remote… but if that is in fact true, it would be a great advantage in our battle against the sea witch."

Desmond stood in dumbstruck silence at the idea that he could have actually been descended from those ancient Hawaiian heroes. If that really was true, then he had to find out for certain. Having such a power made him responsible… to use it for the good of his island home against the wicked sea witch who threatened it.

"How do I find out then?" Desmond asked quickly

The old kahuna gave an uneasy sound from deep in his throat before his eyes flickered. "There is one way… but I caution you against doing such a thing Desmond."

Desmond shook his head stubbornly, "You said it yourself Kanohi. If there's a chance we can harness that power, then we need to take every risk to defeat the sea monsters."

Kanohi made another uneasy noise before speaking, "After Hine Nui's defeat, the original Red Ranger went back to the Big Island of Hawai'i to ask Pele for help in protecting the power he manifested. I imagine she now guards the greater portion of that power and left traces of it with the Red Ranger to pass down over the rest of time. If you really belong to the bloodline of the chieftains and you prove yourself, I believe the goddess may offer to help you."

"Then I'm off to see Pele again," Desmond announced confidently, "After all, she helped us to fight against General Kuta last time, right?"

"Because he was violating her island," Kanohi pointed out, "Pele may be friendly toward you Rangers, but she is still responsible for guarding that power. The goddess will test your worthiness and the danger will certainly be great."

After another pause, Kanohi said, "I urge you Desmond, if you choose to go and undertake Pele's trials, please do not go alone."

"I promise," Desmond nodded solemnly, "I know it sounds a little crazy right now, but I just hope the other Rangers will be on board with this."

* * *

The next day, Naomi rang the doorbell of Leilani's house as Alex and Hannah waited with her on the front steps. The three had planned a little girl's day out and decided to see if their younger friend would join them. Admittedly, Naomi wanted to take her cousin out to covertly make up for the craziness the prior morning. While Alex and Hannah both knew that she and Cam were in a relationship now, Naomi felt her fellow female Rangers didn't have to know about the embarrassing incident from yesterday either.

A sweet fragrance wafted from the thick flowering bushes lining the porch nearby while Alex gently touched a pink flower and took a deep sniff, "You know, I was just thinking... These flowers are so pretty. Dave would love to have a look at them, don't you think?"

Naomi and Hannah exchanged a small mischievous look before the Yellow Ranger shrugged it off, "Sure. I'm guessing Lili probably grew them. Maybe you can ask her for some extras."

Hannah raised an eyebrow, "Really? I thought Leilani was all into studying volcanic rocks and stuff."

"She is," the Yellow Ranger answered, "But she also likes to do a lot of science experiments on plants. When she first got into all her science stuff, she started them because plants are easy to grow and work with, you know?"

Both Pink and Orange Rangers nodded as they were both heavily involved in studying Biology for their own college classes, "Yeah, makes sense."

At that moment, the door opened and Naomi's grandmother opened the door. She was a small elderly Hawaiian lady who wore a plain green dress and comfortable sandals. She had her hair done up in a neat little bun and wore a kind face as she smiled warmly to her granddaughter at the door, "Hello dear! It's nice to see you!"

Naomi greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Hi Grandma, we were just waiting for Lili. Do you know where she is?"

The older lady shook her head slightly but invited the girls inside, "Oh, I'm sure she's mucking around downstairs in her lab somewhere. Come in girls, come in! Don't be shy!"

Naomi led her two friends downstairs toward the basement of the little house. As they walked, Alex smiled, "Aww, your little grandma is so cute. I love her already."

The Yellow Ranger rolled her eyes gently and stopped as they reached the door. From underneath the door, the three girls could see a strange glow of light pulsing slowly. The Rangers exchanged a puzzled look before Hannah stepped forward and knocked at the door. No response.

"Do you think everything is ok?" Alex asked curiously, "Maybe Leilani is in the middle of something?"

Naomi frowned and put her hand on the knob, before pushing the door open. To the surprise of the three girls they saw the basement lab was empty. A bright sunlamp had been left turned on and shining light upon a strange alien looking plant that sat in a pot. The plant was brightly colored with an almost turquoise hue. Radiating from its center was a blossom of tentacle like structures that resembled a terrestrial sea anemone.

"Weird..." Hannah remarked as she eyed the anemone like plant with Naomi, "I've never seen anything like it."

The Yellow Ranger stepped closer to examine the plant when she heard a rustling come from one of the side rooms of the basement.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Get away from that!" Leilani snapped as she quickly closed the door she had emerged from. The younger teenager marched right up to her cousin and ushered the three Rangers away from the table, "Geez Naomi! Be careful, will ya? That plant I'm working on is very sensitive! You could have ruined it!"

"Ok! Ok! Sorry Lili, I didn't mean any harm," Naomi sputtered, taken aback by her cousin's unusual outburst. "Listen, the girls and I came to pick you up. Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" Leilani asked with a suddenly puzzled expression.

"Uh... we were all going to go out for lunch and then see a movie later. Girls day out... remember?"

Leilani gave another confused look and after a long pause shrugged, "Right... of course. Uh... it totally slipped my mind. I'll go up and grab my purse, ok?"

The three female Rangers exchanged a puzzled glance before following Leilani up the stairs and out of the basement lab. Before they left, Naomi took one more look at the strange plant on the table before closing the door. As the door clicked closed, the muffled sound of whimpering rose from the darkness of the storage room, but it wouldn't be loud enough.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Special shoutout and thanks goes to _SethKobayashi_ again for contributing the Black Ranger in the prior plot arc. Another extra thank you goes to _Ms. Strange-Imagination_ for the idea of this short transitional episode. Since Bailey has become fairly close with the team as an ally, I thought Leilani needed a little more attention too.**

 **A little credit also goes to the show Hawaii Five O. The opening scene of this chapter was adapted a little bit from an episode because I thought it was way too fun to pass up. ;)**


	50. Pua: Flower

**Episode 25: Part 2  
**

Next evening in the living room of the beach house, Naomi drummed her fingers glumly on an armchair while she watched Desmond and Hannah intently watching a baseball game on TV. Despite her trying to keep their attention, the two youngest Rangers were more interested in the game and only half-listening in on the conversation going on.

"So what do you think Desmond? Do you think I'm just worrying over nothing?" Naomi asked.

Desmond gave a distracted shrug, "I dunno. So Leilani was acting kinda odd yesterday. Big deal. Everyone gets kinda moody sometimes, right?"

"Yeah… but she was acting really weird… like totally not with it," the Yellow Ranger insisted, "Hannah, tell him. Don't you think Lili was pretty off yesterday?"

Hannah gave an equally distracted shrug, "Kinda, I guess… it was a little weird how aggravated she got over that plant in her lab but then hardly said a word when we all went out."

The Red Ranger wrinkled his features in thought before speaking, "That time of the month, maybe?"

Hannah responded with a swift punch to Desmond's shoulder while she scolded him, "Really Desmond? What's the matter with you?"

Moments later, David walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray of hot tea and snacks. He had also been visiting and caught the important parts of the discussion while in and out of the room. The Green Ranger gave a kind smile and handed Naomi a cup of tea, "Maybe something personal is just bothering Leilani. Or maybe there's something important about her little project?"

Naomi grimaced, "Maybe. She had a really strange looking thing growing in her lab... a plant that almost kinda looked like a big sea anemone."

"Interesting…" David mused curiously, "I'm really not familiar with anything like that."

The Yellow Ranger gave a hopeful smile, "Hey Dave, since you know a lot about that botany stuff, maybe you should come with me to visit her tomorrow night. If she's getting stressed out over some science problem, maybe you can help her out."

The doctor shrugged and gave a kindhearted nod, "Sure, why not? I don't see the harm in it."

"Great, thanks Dave!" Naomi exclaimed, "Desmond? Hannah? What do you guys think?"

"No!" both friends exclaimed together in dismay as they watched a batter from the other team hit a home-run. Turning back to Naomi, Hannah gave an apologetic smile, "Err, sorry about that. I think you and Dave have a good idea. Sure, go for it."

* * *

Back on the Phantom Island, the green sorceress Mujina stormed into the dark lair of the sea witch Hine Nui. The sea witch had been out wandering the island and plotting her next move against the Ocean Rangers but her loyal general Kuta remained to stand watch over the cave. The mollusk warrior sat busily sharpening his weapons and glanced up in disinterest when Mujina quickly marched up to him, "General! Have you seen the Nidarius Blossom?

"The what?" Kuta muttered in an almost bored tone.

"You thick headed barnacle… it's the large colorful sea flower I was growing," Mujina irritably snapped, "I had been growing it in one of the tide-pools near the lair."

Kuta sniffed as he examined his weapon, "Oh, that thing... I got rid of it."

"You what?" Mujina nearly shrieked.

"I didn't know it was yours," Kuta sighed, "It looked like trouble, so I tossed it back into the ocean."

Mujina gnashed her teeth in frustration, "You fool! Do you realize what you've done? That blossoming sea flower was created by dark magic! Once it matures, it has the power to replicate dark clones of other living beings it comes into contact with!"

The General gave a sigh before smiling, "Calm down Mujina, surely wherever it is, it'll do its job and eventually the clones will come back to help serve us."

The green swamp hag growled and made her way out of the lair with an irritated sigh, "For your sake, let's pray that you're right General."

* * *

The following evening, Naomi and David returned to Leilani's house to visit her. While they waited at the door, David idly glanced at the pink flowers lining the porch and gave a smile, "Oh wow… these look really nice."

The Yellow ranger rolled her eyes to herself in mild amusement noting how Alex said the exact same thing just a few days ago. A few moments later, the door opened and Grandma Overahani greeted them in surprise, "Oh! Naomi, I wasn't expecting you. Is everything ok dear?"

"Everything is fine Grandma," Naomi said trying to reassure her with a smile, "And I'm really sorry for just dropping in unexpectedly. I was wondering if Leilani was in tonight. I wanted to talk to her about something."

The gray elder lady shrugged, "I think so. She said she had some work to do in her lab after dinner. Why don't you two come in?"

As they entered the house, Grandma Overahani gave a curious look to the Green Ranger, "Naomi, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend? This isn't that boyfriend of yours, is it?"

David gave a good natured chuckle and extended a polite hand, "No Ma'am, actually I'm just David. Not the boyfriend, just another friend… uh, from work."

Before her grandmother could ask any more embarrassing questions, Naomi grabbed David's arm and dragged him down the stairs leading to the basement.

As they reached the bottom of the steps, they both paused when they saw the same pulsing light emanating from under the door again. As David adjusted his glasses apprehensively, Naomi sucked in her breath and bravely opened the door.

When the two Rangers entered the small lab, they again saw that the place was empty. A few beakers with colorful liquids stood propped up on the table next to a Bunsen burner. At the other end of the table was the large anemone-like plant sitting under a sun lamp. Strangely, the pulsing of the light seemed to fade away when the Rangers entered, but a faint afterglow still radiated around the strange plant.

David was the first to step forward and curiously observe the new specimen on the table, "Wow… this is amazing! I've never seen anything quite like it."

Naomi moved off toward the corners of the basement doing a quick spot check of the dark side rooms until she heard a muffled sound coming from behind one of the doors. The Yellow Ranger glanced back toward David who was still fixated on the plant before she grabbed a nearby broom as a makeshift weapon. The muffled moaning continued and Naomi finally gathered her courage up before throwing the door open and freezing in shock. There in the dark corner of the dark storage closet sat her cousin Leilani, bound and gagged on the floor.

"Lili? Is that you?" Naomi cried as she dropped the broom and rushed to her cousin's side. She immediately pulled off the gag and summoned her own Ocean Dagger to cut the bindings holding the younger girl in place. "Oh my gosh… are you ok?"

The younger girl gave a relieved whimper and gratefully threw her arms around her cousin, "Thank goodness! You saved me again Naomi!"

After her cousin hugged her back, Leilani let go and quickly rose to her feet, "Come on, we have to hurry and destroy that plant!"

"Wait… what? What is going on?"

Leilani emerged from the closet and strode toward her lab table, surprising David along the way.

"Leilani? There you are! Is everything ok?" David asked curiously.

"There's no time to explain," the teen girl replied as she brushed past him and quickly began rummaging through a storage drawer, looking for some bottles, "Just stay away from that plant. The thing is possessed."

By now, Naomi and David had regrouped and exchanged a worried look with each other. The Yellow Ranger watched as the teen scientist grabbed a couple bottles and began pouring them into a large beaker to mix them. "Uh… Lili? What's going on here?"

Leilani kept working and gave an impatient mumble, "See that huge flower? Apparently it's just like a sea anemone, except from outer space or something. I found the thing washed up on the beach so I took it home to study it. The thing stung me and the next thing I knew, I was tied up here with some zombie plant version of me running around."

"What? How is that possible?" Naomi asked in confusion.

David crossed his arms pensively, "It's possible for sea anemones to reproduce asexually…sometimes a little polyp will bud off and it grows into a newer larger one."

Leilani nodded, "My guess is it must have picked up a piece my DNA when it stung me, then ran with it."

"This could be the work of Hine Nui," David guessed, "She had created an evil Ranger with dark sorcery so she could have done the same with this plant thing."

"Whatever the case, I'm going to kill the plant and hope that it kills the offspring too," Leilani replied finishing mixing the concoction. "Let's see how much it likes drinking some low-grade sulfuric acid."

As she moved toward the plant, the three froze as a second Leilani quickly walked down the stairs and confronted them from the doorway, "Hey! What do you guys think you're doing in my lab?"

"Your lab? You're the fake one around here, you monster!" the first girl retorted as she raised the beaker of acid threateningly.

"Whoah! Easy does it!" Naomi called fearfully as she stepped back to avoid any stray acid being spilled.

The girl at the doorway sighed and shook her head, "Come on Naomi, can't you see that the other one s bluffing? It's an act. She's obviously putting you guys on."

"I'm not lying!" the second Leilani called back heatedly while still holding the acid, "She can tell us apart… right?"

The girl at the doorway snorted and walked into the lab calmly, "And how do you suppose she does that? Maybe cut us to see who bleeds red blood?"

While the two girls remained locked in a standoff, David slowly but quietly edged over toward the sink. Before anyone could notice, he stopped the drain and turned on the faucet to let the water slowly begin to pool. He quickly reached up to his Ocean Bracer and spoke into it quietly, "We've got trouble… if anybody is out there… we could really use some help now."

Meanwhile, the Yellow Ranger drew the attention of the two girls and shook her head, "No. No one is going to get cut or bleed. I've got a better way to figure this out."

The two twins eyed each other skeptically before Naomi carefully asked a question, "If you're the real Leilani, then what kind of underwear was Cam wearing on Saturday morning?"

The two Leilani's blinked in surprise before the real one holding the acid called out, "Dark blue boxer shorts with a white anchor pattern!"

The other Leilani stammered in confusion before clenching her fists with a growl as Naomi pointed her Ocean Dagger at her. To everyone's shock, the imposter began to take on features of a humanoid anemone creature and raised a hand full of poisonous stinging tentacles menacingly, "You think you're so smart, huh? I've still got you trapped here. All I have to do is start making dark clones of the rest of you and no one will know the difference."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Leilani replied dumping the acid on the anemone-like plant.

As she did, Mujina's Nidarius Blossom began to tremble violently and give of a wailing hiss as dark magic vapors began to erupt like steam.

"No!" the monstrous imposter called out in alarm while she watched the Blossom burn away from the corrosive acid. As the flower melted away, the monster raised her eyes vengefully, "You will pay for that."

"Uh oh," David gulped as he grabbed Leilani and pulled her aside while the monster lunged forward to attack. As David dove away with Leilani, Naomi rolled over the edge of the lab table and tried to ward off the enemy with a kick.

While it bought her cousin a moment's safety, the fake Leilani lashed out with her arm and backhanded the Yellow Ranger, knocking her over. As the monster loomed over her with its stinging tentacles, Naomi backed up toward the running sink and curled up into a defensive position on the ground.

"You think that hurt? You haven't begun to feel real pain yet."

Before the monster could bring its stingers to bear, a glowing portal opened from the water in the sink and several morphed Ocean Rangers burst free. The monster gasped as Desmond and Cam dropped their shoulders and bullrushed her backwards while Alex and Hannah crouched down to help their downed friend.

"You okay?" Alex asked while pulling the Yellow Ranger to her feet.

"I'm good," Naomi nodded, "And thanks! You guys have perfect timing."

Hannah drew her hook weapon and took a stance to shield her unmorphed friends, "You can thank Dave for raising the alarm and keeping the door open."

As she said that, the monstrous Leilani clone shoved the Red and Blue Rangers backward, giving everyone a chance to regroup.

"Uh, guys? It's feeling a little tight down here, don't you think?" Desmond asked as everyone squared off in the cramped basement.

"Then I think we'd better make some room to breathe," Naomi replied as she quickly morphed and focused a small swirling cloud of wind within her Ocean Bracer.

Before the other Rangers could react, Naomi rushed forward and struck, using the concentrated force of wind energy to back her punch. The blow struck the anemone monster hard and swept her backwards. Having been carried by the wind, the imposter smashed through the single basement window and was thrown out onto the grassy backyard of the house.

As the monster rolled to her knees and tried to shake off the blow, the Rangers crawled out the window, preparing to continue the battle in the yard. With a frustrated growl, the monster fired a barrage of stinging bolts, staggering the Ocean Rangers and causing them to scatter.

Instead of dodging, the Yellow Ranger stood her ground and deflected the bolts with her two serrated clubs, also effectively shielding Hannah beside her. Naomi turned and gave a nod, "Think you can buy me a little time with your powers?"

"Way ahead of you girl," Hannah replied focusing orange light into her weapon. As she gave it a wave, the Orange Ranger called upon the powers of the dawn sun and Maui's trickster magic to bend the light in her favor. Naomi charged forward, but the anemone monster staggered in confusion, believing that time had slowed down and that the Ranger was moving at half speed.

Before the monster could orient herself, Naomi was already upon her, striking several furious blows while tumbling around the creature to attack at other angles. The anemone spawn gave another wail as the Yellow Ranger sheared off several of her stinging tentacles and brought both her charged clubs around for a finishing strike. As she landed the blow, Naomi tumbled sideways as Hannah followed up with her own charged slash, bisecting the monster straight down the middle.

The two Rangers smiled and exchanged a wrist bump as the monster erupted into a dark cloud and burned away completely.

As everyone powered down and Leilani joined them on the lawn, Alex quickly looked around the yard in apprehension, "Uh Naomi? That was awesome and all, but do you think your grandma would be all over this? I mean, we just killed a monster in her backyard."

Leilani smiled and waved it off with a laugh, "Don't sweat it Alex, Grandma can be pretty hard of hearing. I doubt she even knows what just happened right here."

"We're still going to have to fix that window," David noted, "But I'm just glad all that nonsense is out of the way."

Glancing over to the Blue Ranger, David also gave a chuckle to his friend, "And that I have some blackmail material against you too... anchors and all."

Cam frowned in confusion while Naomi and Leilani shared a knowing laugh.

"Well, whatever the case, kicking the ass of one of Hine Nui's monsters always deserves a reward," Hannah chimed in hopefully, "Who wants to go celebrate over a fruit smoothie or something?"

Desmond nodded with an unusually serious look on his face, "Sounds fine, but now that we've finally got the whole group together this week... there's something else we all need to discuss when we sit down later... something very important."

Everyone exchanged curious expressions before turning back to the Red Ranger, "I had been speaking with Kanohi and I need to ask all of you a big favor... that you come with me back to the Big Island of Hawai'i. There's someone there that I need to see."

David raised a puzzled eyebrow, "Who is that?"

Desmond fixed him with a stony gaze, "I need to speak with the goddess Pele."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Nidarius Blossom: refers to Cnidarians, a scientific classification of Sea Anemones**

 **Coming up, the start of the quest for a team power-up and a Red Battlizer. See you guys then!**


	51. Ho'i: Return

**Episode 26: Part 1  
**

The cry of several seagulls rang out overhead as the small sailboat Luna coasted over the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. As the fishing boat cruised along the rolling waves, the small flock of white birds flew in line with the ship like a small aerial escort.

At the front of the ship, Desmond Waihee stretched out and deeply inhaled the salty sea air. He could hear the sails flapping with the wind and the edges of his shaggy unruly hair danced in the breeze as well. Since leaving the island of Oahu, the skies were clear and bright, the wind was good, and the waters were also calm. It was all too perfect, yet Desmond couldn't help but wonder if it was the calm before the storm. Once the Rangers reached the Big Island, he knew there would be difficulty and danger, even with the help of the goddess Pele.

He sighed and tried to calm his mind, enjoying the fact that everything was in order. Near the helm of the boat, Hannah stood holding the wheel of the ship while Cam supervised and gave her instructions on how to navigate at sea. Down below in the ship's galley, David was preparing some lunch while Naomi and Alex busied themselves scrubbing the corners of the ship with soap and washcloths.

"Hey! Cheer up skipper," the Yellow Ranger called trying to encourage her friend and housemate. "If this wind keeps up, we should make it to Kilauea in no time."

Desmond gave a faint smile and nodded as she joined him at the railing of the bow. Naomi fixed him with a curious look before he cleared his own throat, "Listen Naomi, I uh... want to thank you guys for coming with me. Kanohi said that things could get a little crazy over here if Pele even decides to test me."

"We're your friends Desmond," she said reassuringly, "Of course we're going to come. If it's that important to you, then the team has your back."

She studied him for another moment while keeping her expression neutral, "Do you really think you may share some blood with the ancient Hawaiian chieftains? I mean... that's pretty big stuff."

Desmond shrugged, "I never really knew much about my heritage, you know? My parents died while I was still kinda young and no one else in my family ever really made a big effort to learn either. We were just a simple family from the island and we know that we've been there a long time. If there is some unknown secret to our heritage, then I owe it to my folks to find out."

"And this power over Death that you mentioned... the one the warrior _Ka'ena_ sealed away with Pele... you really think you have a shot at it?"

The Red Ranger kept his eyes forward and looked toward the distant Big Island coming up on the horizon. "I have to try Naomi. If that power will help us defeat Hine Nui once and for all, and protect our islands... then it falls to us to do that. For the people of the past and the people we're looking after now."

The Yellow Ranger gave a gentle smile and patted her friend on the shoulder, "Well, whether or not you actually are some great Chief, the Ocean Rangers still have your back."

Desmond gave a grateful smile and turned back toward the helm with his lighthearted spirit returning, "Thanks... in the mean time, I'd better get to the wheel before Hannah runs us into a reef or something."

* * *

After docking in the port city of Hilo for the night, the Ocean Rangers set off early the next morning until they returned to the volcanic region of Kilauea. As they sailed up to the foreboding coastline, a light haze of steam and volcanic fog hung over the area, stifling the light of the sun above. It was just as mysterious and unsettling as they had remembered it the first time.

After finding a safe inlet cove to anchor in, the Rangers disembarked and began hiking up a steep path covered in the rich black volcanic soil that the region was known for. As the path leveled out, Alex adjusted her backpack full of supplies and water, then wiped her brow, "Phew... is it just me, or does this place feel hotter than last time?"

"Tell me about it," Hannah agreed casting a wary glance around the place, "It feels just like a sauna here."

After strolling by a small river of glowing red lava which flowed out toward the sea, David tapped the Red Ranger on the shoulder, "Uh, Desmond? What exactly was the plan when we got here? Is there some place that we're supposed to go to see Pele?"

"Actually... I was thinking of just going with a more straightforward approach," Desmond replied as he walked ahead of everyone else and stopped. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out the black stone bracelet the goddess gave him and shouted out in a loud voice, "Pele! It's me, Desmond Waihee! I've returned because I need your help! I... I'd like to speak with you... please!"

As Desmond's voice echoed across the volcanic plain, the other Rangers waited behind him in silence. Both Cam and David exchanged a skeptical look with each other and shrugged before they spotted a figure lowly semerging from the volcanic mists.

Everyone's eyes went wide in wonder and they held their collective breaths as a young beautiful Hawaiian woman in a red tribal dress materialized from the haze and walked slowly toward them. While Pele was known by many to be a capricious temperamental goddess, she wore a serene smile on her face as she approached the six young people. Upon reaching Desmond, she extended her hands in greeting, "Welcome back Desmond, and welcome Ocean Rangers. This is a bit unexpected, but I am glad to see you have returned to my island."

The Red Ranger bowed his head reverently, "Pele... I apologize for bothering you, but I came because I need your help. I've come with questions about the royal powers used by the warrior _Ka'ena._.. and seek to know if I may have some claim over them."

The goddess eyed him calmly and a mysterious smile flickered across her features. "I suppose old Kanohi sent you to try and reclaim those powers... to use against Hine Nui, I assume?"

Desmond nodded, "I plan to use the power to rid the islands of Hine Nui, but I came of my own choice. Kanohi only advised me."

"Very noble of you," Pele smiled as she walked past Desmond and gestured toward the coast. Where she walked, molten volcanic footprints were left on the ground and the other Rangers continued to stare in silent wonder. "Kanohi was an honorable old kahuna and a friend to the gods of Hawaii. You Rangers have already proven yourselves worthy by helping to protect these islands and risking yourselves to defend my volcanoes too. The least I can do is to return the favor. If you'll come with me?"

The volcanic mists coalesced around the Rangers and in the next moment, they found themselves back near the coastline standing atop a high volcanic ridge overlooking the ocean. Pele stood before them and gestured out toward the distant waters looking east from Kilauea.

"Desmond Waihee, only a scion born of Hawaii and possessing a noble purpose in his heart can inherit the great power that was entrusted to me. Beyond the waves is an island that only appears once every day when the sun is at its highest point. It is a sanctuary and a special place of worship for the gods, but most importantly, it is the resting place of _Ka'ena's_ power. Within the island is a temple to Kane, the Creator and the greatest of our kind. Only those with noble blood may pass through the great stone doors, but once inside, the claimant will be tested to see if they are worthy."

Desmond gulped and tried to swallow his growing apprehension, "Can you tell me what kinds of things I should expect out there?"

Pele shook her head gently, "I cannot Desmond. The trials are unique to each person. Should you make it to the temple, I will not be able to help you directly, but I will still be present to watch over you."

"I understand Pele… and thank you," the Red Ranger nodded.

After another pause, Hannah cleared her throat and turned to the goddess hesitantly, "Excuse me Pele, I'm just curious. Will this ancestral power that Desmond is looking for really be enough to stop the sea witch? I mean, we've all seen Hine Nui whip up some pretty scary black magic."

Pele tilted her head thoughtfully, "I cannot say for certain Hannah Johnson. _Ka'ena's_ power comes from the " _mana_ " or spiritual energy that has accumulated through his bloodline over time. Mana can be gained through righteous actions called " _pono_ ", or lost through dishonorable ones. Perhaps if Desmond were to add the collective power of his own deeds to that of the ancestors, that force may help to overcome the goddess of death.

While she spoke, Cam glanced at his wristwatch and noted the time. "Desmond, if we're going to be looking for this island, we've got a few hours before high noon. We should probably be shoving off soon."

Desmond nodded and turned back to the goddess one more time, "Thank you for showing us the way Pele. I'll see you at the temple."

Pele gave a conflicted sigh and reached out to touch his cheek, "Desmond, I'm sure Kanohi told you to be careful, but I will urge you to do the same. Know that these trials are truly dangerous and that it's possible to lose your life. If you should fall, the Rangers' weakness will only give an advantage to Hine Nui."

Desmond hesitated for a long moment before gently nodding his head toward his patron deity, "I know that Pele, but it's a risk that I need to take… not only for myself, but for everybody else too."

Pele smiled and took her hand from his cheek, "Then I will pray for your success brave son of Hawaii."

With that, the Ocean Rangers regrouped and made their way back down the volcanic ridge toward the boat. While Luna unfurled her sails and began to depart the fiery shores of Kilauea, Pele remained standing on the ridge watching the boat and giving one last wave.

As the skies began to clear from the volcanic steam and Luna made her way out into deeper waters, Cam stood near the ship's helm checking the skies and then examining the compass. They were headed due east as Pele had instructed them, but there wasn't any nearby land to be seen.

"All right skipper, it's almost noon and we're on course to… somewhere. Uh, what are your orders?"

Desmond gripped the ship's wheel and cast a determined look over the horizon, "We stay on course, and we chase the sun."

* * *

An hour passed as Luna continued on her course and glided over the waves. At the prow of the ship, Hannah Johnson sat and gave a bored yawn acting as a lookout while the others took their turn to eat a light lunch. She glanced upwards and saw some low hanging cloud banks on the periphery of their course until she turned her eyes forward again. To her surprise, she spotted a something in the distance, a large stationary silhouette on the horizon… it looked just like an island.

She jumped up and waved her arms in excitement while calling loudly, "Hey everyone! I see something! Uh… land-ho… or whatever! Come quick!"

The others jumped up and headed toward the bow of the ship and watched as she pointed out the landmass in the distance. Desmond quickly checked a sea chart and gave a guarded smile, "Well… it isn't on the map. This could be the place. Nice call Hannah!"

Meanwhile, the Blue Ranger kept his eyes locked on the horizon, "If that's the place, we'd better open sail and make best speed. I don't like the look of those clouds."

"Those aren't storm clouds… are they?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"Hard to tell from here," Cam admitted, "But it's best we don't take any chances."

"And best to trust a Navy sailor's judgment," Desmond added clapping his friend's shoulder before scrambling to the wheelhouse. "Come on, let's get on those sails everyone! I'm going to need the whole crew's help if we're going to beat that storm!"

* * *

After another half hour, the Rangers busied themselves helping to man the sails while they made their approach toward the mysterious island. As the island loomed in the near distance, the skies had grown dark and volatile while the waves underneath the boat became choppy. Every so often, a rolling wave would impact the side of the boat, splashing a powerful spray of water across the deck.

"Uh guys… I don't like the looks of this," Naomi moaned as she struggled to hold on to one of the sail lines.

"I think I'm going to be sick," David added while wiping off some water from his glasses.

An ominous rumble of thunder echoed across the skies as another big wave buffeted Luna's keel and staggered the 6 Rangers. Desmond gritted his teeth as he fought to keep the wheel steady amid a curtain of rain that the ship now began to pass through, "Just hold on everyone! Keep pushing! We're almost there!"

On the other side of the deck, Alex fought to keep her balance as she stumbled over to try to secure some of the rigging. The normally confident and spirited Pink ranger now wore a look of genuine fear and dread on her face as she fumbled with the ropes. She didn't know a thing about sailing and everything was out of her own control. She hated that feeling of helplessness. "Oh god… we can't die out here… not like this…"

Moments later, Cam was at her side helping to hold the rope while keeping her steady with his other arm, "Just stay cool Alex… no one's going to die, ok? Desmond and I aren't going let that happen. We're all going to make it to shore and dry off with a nice warm campfire afterward, sound good?"

Alex blinked for a moment and nodded with a weak smile, feeling slightly reassured.

"Good, now just hang on to that line as hard as you can and sit tight," Cam said before letting go of her and hurrying over to the other side of the boat. This was looking bad and he wasn't even sure he could believe in his own words right now. They were still some ways out from the island and the storm was only getting worse. Still, he had to fall back on his military training right now and act like an officer. He just had to focus on staying calm, getting the job done, and keeping the morale of everyone else up. No pressure, right?

A lightning bolt pierced the dark skies and lit up the storm clouds for moment before a black rolling wave churned up and violently rocked the boat. Everyone held their collective breath as Luna lurched sideways at a terrifying 45 degree angle, threatening to capsize.

Unfortunately, no one had a moment to think about it as they heard a fearful cry. Hannah Johnson lost her grip on the slippery railing and began to slide down the deck toward the water. Desmond was thrown face-first into the wheel and shook the stars from his eyes only to watch in horror as the blond haired teenager began careening off the deck.

Moments later, Cam grabbed a spare rope and slid down the deck himself, just in time to grab the girl and keep her from going completely overboard.

"Hang on kiddo, I've gotcha!" the Blue Ranger gasped as a sobbing Hannah desperately clung to him while the two dangled precariously off the edge of the listing deck.

Desmond turned the wheel hard, trying to counter-steer and even the boat out, "Everyone! Hang on!"

He barely got the words out when another massive black wave rolled in from the other side and crashed into Luna.

"No!" Desmond shouted out in futility and fear as the ship tipped over and he saw the Blue and Orange Rangers get swept overboard.

Naomi gave an anguished cry to Cam as she, David, and Alex were carried off the other way and the boat tipped over. As the deafening sound of the stormy seas filled Desmond's ears, the Red Ranger desperately reached out his hands as he lost sight of his friends amid the swirling maelstrom. Desmond choked out one last call to his fellow Rangers before he felt a strange pull from underneath the water and a dark wave crashed down upon him, causing his entire world to go black.

* * *

 **A/N:  
Don't worry everyone. I know things look pretty bad right now, but this isn't the end of our heroes. It's all just part of the test.**

 **To Ranger Red 2.0, I just wanted to say a quick thank you for that clever review in the last chapter. You gave me a good laugh my friend, so thank you for reading.**


	52. Ho'opae: Cast Ashore

**Episode 26: Part 2** **  
**

A bright yellow light pulled at the black corners of her vision as Alexandra Coach slowly regained consciousness. She could feel the warm sun on her face and heard the sounds of the pounding ocean waves nearby. She cracked her eyes open and stirred before she felt two hands immediately steady her shoulders.

"Hannah! Over here! Alex is waking up!"

That was definitely Naomi's voice and the Pink Ranger groaned as she began to sit up slowly.

"Whoah… easy does it girl," Naomi said gently, "Are you ok?"

Alex rubbed her eyes and looked around finding herself on a beautiful white sandy beach. Further up the sand dunes looked to be a lush line of bushes and trees bearing colorful flowers and succulent looking fruits.

"I don't know," Alex muttered tiredly as she brushed aside her wet brown hair and Hannah came to join the girls, "Where are we? How did we get here?"

After a momentary pause, Alex gave a mortified expression as her brain slowly began getting back into gear, "Wait a sec… we aren't… dead, are we?"

Hannah gave an uneasy look before scanning their surroundings, "I'd like to think not… but this place looks a little too pristine and perfect… don't you think?"

Naomi helped her friend rise to her feat, "Well, we seem to be safe for now. I was thinking we should take a walk down the beach and see if any of the boys turn up."

She paused a moment and swallowed a lump in her throat before Hannah put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's ok Naomi, I know… I'm worried about him too."

Now that she was back on solid ground and had her wits about her, Alex dusted herself off and tried to do her duty as the eldest girl on the team, "Ok, we've wasted enough time napping here. Let's try to find out where we are and figure out what to do next."

* * *

The sound of the surf and the keening cry of a seagull filled Cam's ears as he drifted back into consciousness and cracked his eyes open. He could feel the warm sensation of sand underneath him and he groggily rolled over from where he had been laying facedown on the beach. As he glanced over, he could see David lying near him, also stirring and groaning quietly. They were alive, and that was an encouraging start.

The Blue Ranger wiped some sand from his face and his short brown hair before crawling over and offering a hand to help David, "Hey Doc… you ok?"

David mumbled an affirmative and reluctantly sat up to wipe his glasses, which had miraculously stayed on his head, "Cam? I… where are we?"

"Beats me Dave, one minute I was going off the side of the boat, next minute we're here."

Cam stopped for a moment before he gave a horrified gasp, "Oh God… Hannah… I lost my grip on her. I…"

"Did everything you could," David replied gently putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "But something isn't adding up here. How is it that you and I ended up together?"

Cam blinked in weary confusion as David's mind already began churning, "You were swept off the boat with Hannah and I was carried the other way with Alex and Naomi… the chances of us washing up together here and in such close proximity… well, it's very improbable."

"We're Power Rangers Dave. Everything about us is improbable," Cam reminded him, "If we're here, it's possible the others may have washed ashore too."

"And if not?" David asked, hating himself for being the devil's advocate at the moment.

A flicker of genuine fear and dread crossed Cam's features as he helped David stand, "Let's pray that we don't have to tackle that scenario."

* * *

Desmond Waihee awoke to a throbbing pain and groaned as he clutched his forehead. He remembered having struck his head against the steering wheel of his ship and was likely suffering the aftereffects of a nasty bruise. As he touched his head, he felt himself laying face-up in a shallow pool of water.

As he opened his eyes and sat up to look around, the Red Ranger found himself in what looked to be a small secluded tropical spring. A small waterfall cascaded nearby filling his ears with the gentle trickling sound of water while glittering sunlight scattered through the canopy of shady trees above.

"What is going on?" he muttered to himself as he rose slowly and saw a stone walking path before him, "Where am I?"

"The answer is simple Red Warrior," came a man's voice, "You've been brought to the path leading to the Temple of Kane."

Desmond looked toward some nearby stone pillars lining the fountain and saw a powerfully built middle aged Hawaiian man with a graying ponytail and an orange cutoff shirt. As the figure passed the pillar, he immediately changed form to a younger man who graced Desmond with a friendly smile. The man's normal street clothes gave way to that of a tribal fisherman and Desmond's eyes widened, "You're a shapeshifter... you're one of the gods?"

"Close," the man grinned helping the Ranger up.

"Maui?" Desmond concluded with a relieved smile as the god gave a playful wink and gestured him on the stone road leading from the spring.

"I'm here to lead you to the temple," the trickster demigod Maui said as they walked down the shady path, "Pele is already waiting for you there."

Desmond stopped abruptly, "Wait... how am I even here? I thought I drowned for sure. Where is my boat? Where are my friends?"

Maui gently raised his hands to calm the agitated Ranger and gave a reassuring smile, "I assure you, your boat is safe fisherman. You're very much alive and so are your friends. We just needed a way to separate you from everyone else before you take the trials... after all, they will have challenges of their own on this sacred island."

"We?" Desmond asked raising an eyebrow.

Maui smiled, "Of course... your patron deities. Pele, Paka'a, Lono, Laka, and Kanaloa. It was actually the old sea god Kanaloa who whipped up that storm and brought you ashore. He said wanted to test your will to get here and observe the courage of the Rangers in a desperate condition too."

"Gee, he sounds like a real awesome guy,' Desmond muttered sarcastically under his breath. That caused Maui to laugh.

"He's one of the eldest gods and a powerful sorcerer... of course he's awesome. I can only imagine what crazy challenge he'll set up to keep your friends busy."

Desmond frowned slightly, "In that case, shouldn't you be off helping Hannah right now?"

"Soon enough," Maui answered ushering the Red Ranger along the path until they came to a clearing.

There before them was a large stone temple that rose up high into the air like a towering ancient cathedral. While the architecture itself was relatively simple in construction, the sheer scope of the place was still impressive. Leading into the temple were two great doors made out of heavy dark stone. Along the moss covered slabs were ancient markings and engravings carved over them.

As Desmond approached, he saw that the goddess Pele waited patiently for him at the entrance. The woman gave him a guarded smile and nodded her head, "I am glad my uncle Kanaloa deemed you worthy to come here. Come, let me soothe your weariness and prepare you for your trials."

The Red Ranger turned his head to where Maui had been standing and jumped in surprise to find the trickster demigod had already gone. The goddess stepped forward and laid a hand upon his forehead and the Ranger felt his weariness wash away. His soreness and his pain disappeared and he felt a brief rush of invigorating fire within him.

After taking a step back, Pele gestured toward the stone doors, "We stand before the great temple to Kane the Creator. Are you prepared to enter?"

Desmond took a deep breath and nodded, "You said that the blood of a noble Hawaiian would open the doors. What do I have to do?"

His patron goddess produced a small dagger from her dress and gave him a level gaze, "You know that your ancient people would make sacrifices to the gods… even human sacrifices to my volcanoes. Give me your hand."

The Ranger extended his palm and Pele took it, gently nicking it with the tip of the knife. As a small trickling line of blood began to bubble up, she directed Desmond toward a great seal that was carved within the doors, "Place your hand upon Kane's mark so that he knows who enters this place."

The Ranger did do and pressed his hand to the cold stone engraving. As he removed it, he watched in wonder as the red smear of blood seemed to magically absorb into the stone. Moments later, a great rumbling was heard and the great stone doors slowly began to part with a grinding screech.

Pele touched Desmond's palm again to heal his cut before she beckoned toward the doorway with a pleased smile, "It would seem there is some kind of nobility in your family after all. The way is open."

The Red Ranger gulped as he strained to see inside the gloomy darkness of the great temple's interior. Before he stepped forward Pele put her hand on his shoulder, "You'd best go in prepared and arm yourself."

Desmond nodded and summoned his Ranger spear from his Ocean Bracer, then ignited the weapon's head to act like a substitute torch.

The goddess's expression hardened into a solemn look again, "Remember that once inside, your trials will begin. I cannot directly intervene, but I will be near to watch and guide you."

"Thanks Pele, I appreciate the support," Desmond answered while trying to gather up his courage. His friends were safe, but they would be counting on him to make it through these tests. They had gotten this far, and he wouldn't let them or the other people of Hawaii down either. Desmond raised his blazing spear up and with Pele at his side, he began his march into the dark ominous temple.

* * *

Meanwhile, the three female Ocean Rangers made their way down the beaches of the island, staying near to the shady tree line at the top of the sand dunes. They hoped that the slight vantage point would make it a little easier to spot any of their comrades further up the coastline.

After sitting down in the shade to rest, Naomi sat and watched as her two friends rooted around some shrubs and found some edible fruit to eat. While they ate a meager lunch of fruit, they kept their eyes on the coastline, but to their dismay, it appeared completely empty. When they had finished their meal, the girls decided to head deeper inland into what looked like some lush wooded meadow-land filled with ferns and taller palm trees. As they explored, they came across a curious sight: dotting the meadows were small stone tribal statues and old wooden tikis planted in the ground.

"Strange... what do you make of it?" Hannah asked as she poked a tiki.

"I don't recognize these tikis," Naomi admitted, "But this may mean that there are people on this island. Maybe they can help us, and maybe they've seen the boys."

She suddenly felt Alex grip her arm and turned to see a group of dark hooded apparitions materialize from the shadows of the woods and close in on them. As they approached, the girls could make out small short swords in the hands of the interlopers.

"If those are the people, I'm not sure they're keen on helping us!" Alex quipped giving her friends a push and running in fear through the bushes and tall grasses. The girls ran until they came to a sunny clearing with some statues and tikis still littering the way.

As they pushed aside some more brush and wove around a few more totems, the girls froze as two figures emerged from the bushes at the opposite end of the clearing. To their shock and relief, it was Cam and David. The two men halted abruptly and exchanged a relieved look as Hannah was the first to run forward and throw her arms around both of them at the same time.

"Oh, thank God you two are still alive," she cried in relief, letting go for a moment before hugging them again.

"Thanks… I feel the same way too kid," Cam laughed gently as he put an affectionate hand on top of the blond girl's head and the two other female Rangers rushed over to create a quick group hug.

"We thought the worst had happened to you guys," Alex said as she quickly wiped her eyes, "First we got lost, now we're being chased by those hooded warriors…"

"Wait, you were being chased here by those things too?" David asked as he cast a wary glance around the clearing.

The five Ocean Rangers froze and watched as a small group of the dark cloaked figures stood encircling them in silence. The Rangers tensed and began to assume fighting stances, but the mysterious warriors remained stationary.

"What are those creeps waiting for?" Cam asked with an edge of fear in his voice.

"Waiting for you to do something foolish, I imagine," came another voice from nearby.

The five friends turned in surprise to see an elderly Hawaiian man making his way through the wooded meadow. As he passed, he dusted off the stone statues and wooden tikis that lined the ground with a makeshift palm leaf brush.

The menacing cloaked warriors remained frozen in place as the old man calmly ambled over toward the Rangers and graced them with a crooked smile. His hair was long and gray, but his eyes still glittered with a vibrant blue color. He wore a faded blue tunic and a white scallop shell pendant around his neck. As he finished dusting off a nearby tiki, they Rangers also noticed the tattoo of a black octopus on the back of both the man's hands.

"See? Those aumakua aren't nearly as scary as you thought, huh?"

Naomi wrinkled her nose in confusion,"Wait a second… aumakua? Ancestral nature spirits? What is going on here? Who are you?"

The old man gave a pleasant smile along with a slight bow, "My name is Nalo. At your service my dear. I guess you could say I am the caretaker of this sacred meadow."

"Hang on… you live here all by yourself?" Alex asked in confusion.

Nalo shrugged, "I don't have much choice. The aumakua must have thought I was of some use to them, so they let me live here... as long as they will it anyway."

"You're a prisoner then?" David asked narrowing his gaze before glancing back to the menacing figures around the meadow.

Nalo gave a grim smirk and snorted before dusting off another tiki, "I guess you could say that. Many years ago, I was out fishing on my boat when I was caught in a terrible storm. I landed on this island and came across this meadow while looking for supplies, but that was when the spirits stopped me. I was told I had trespassed on their sacred grounds and for that, they would punish me."

Cam frowned pensively, "So what did you do?"

"The only thing I could my boy… I bargained for my life. The spirits agreed to spare my life in exchange for me looking after their grounds. I am now bound by their magic and forbidden to leave this place."

"That sounds awful," Hannah chimed in with a sympathetic look toward the old man, "There's got to be a way we can help you."

Alex was the first to raise her pink coral bracelet, "I know one way, we teach those spirits a lesson."

"If you intend to try and use some kind of magic or sorcery, then I fear it won't work here," Nalo sighed while shaking his head.

"We'll just see about that," Cam answered defiantly as he took charge and readied his Ocean Bracer with Alex, "Ready?"

Alex nodded, "Point Break!"

The other Rangers watched in surprise and dismay as the powers of the Ocean Bracers fizzled out, leaving Cam and Alex unmorphed, but still holding their Ranger weapons.

Nalo rolled his eyes gently and shook his head again, "I told you so."

Alex frowned and shook out her bracelet before giving a defeated sigh, "Damn… this place sucks!"

From the edges of the clearing, the aumakua spirits simply turned and faded back into the shadows of the brush leaving the Rangers bewildered and fearful.

"It seems they're letting you live for now," Nalo commented idly as he continued his duties, "Why? I can't say… but rest assured if you try to leave the woods, they will come to kill you."

While the elderly man went about cleaning the grove, the others turned to the Blue Ranger and Hannah was the first to speak, "So… what do we do now?"

Cam chewed his bottom lip for a moment before taking charge with a determined nod, "Ok… first thing's first. We need to gather some food, water, and firewood. We'll set up a campsite and then figure out how we're going to get out of here after that."

The others gave a nod and broke their huddle. They didn't quite understand the mysterious laws of this magical island yet and Desmond was still missing. Right now, the Rangers had to figure out a way to survive and overcome their supernatural captors. The best way to do that was to stay busy, because as long as the Rangers could focus on something productive, they wouldn't have a chance to dwell on just how lost and scared they were each feeling at that very moment.


	53. Na'auao: Wisdom

**Episode 27: Part 1  
**

A faint draft of air tickled the back of Desmond's neck as he made his way deeper into the ancient stone temple of Kane. He gripped his spear tightly as the orange and red light from the weapon flickered and cast a dim nimbus of light around him. To his shock, the temple was like some sort of optical illusion. It was much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. A row of great stone pillars opened up into a large hallway lined with carved wooden figures and offering bowls.

As Desmond cautiously walked the ancient hallway, he could see Pele effortlessly gliding along beside him, her footfalls made no sound and her red dress fluttered in an almost ghostly manner. Finally, the hallway ended and opened up into a wide circular chamber with another heavy door at the opposite end.

In the center of the room was a mound of earth that sloped upward to form a miniature volcano. Desmond paused and watched as a plume of flames erupted from the cone at intervals before turning to the goddess.

"Emotion and Aggression are natural parts of being human," Pele said stepping aside to bar the exit to the room, "It lies below the surface, bubbling up in spectacular ways when we least expect it. Great is the warrior who can temper that fury, even when in the midst of battle. Greater still is the warrior who can discern truth and the path to victory over the fires in his heart."

The miniature volcano flared again and a shadowy ancient Hawaiian warrior bearing a club emerged to confront him. Desmond smirked, "A trial by combat huh? Piece of cake."

He leveled his spear and took a fighting stance. The dark warrior paused for a moment before charging forward and clashing with the Red Ranger. Desmond parried aside the blow and easily dodged the second backswing of his opponent. Giving a laugh, Desmond twirled his weapon around and skillfully plunged the weapon into the torso of the dark warrior to destroy him.

To the Ranger's confusion, the doorway ahead of him did not open and Pele remained standing at the exit with her arms crossed and a stony expression on her face. Desmond frowned slightly as he saw the room's volcanic jet go off again, "Am I missing something? Is the test over?"

To his surprise, the Red Ranger saw two club wielding warriors emerge from the shadowy corners of the room to confront him, "Huh… I guess not. All right, I've fought more Nightmarchers off at the same time, bring it!"

From where she stood in the chamber, Pele shook her head in silence as she watched Desmond skillfully fend off the two warriors and destroy them with a counter slash of his spearhead. After a brief pause, Desmond waited for the door to open, but to no avail. The Ranger hurried to the door and felt for a hidden lever or button, but he was unsuccessful too. After fumbling at the door for a minute, Desmond jumped back as four shadowy warriors rematerialized to block his way.

"Uh, Pele? A little help here?" Desmond called as he backpedaled toward the exit of the room. He now changed his stance to a defensive one and his original confident bluster had begun to fade somewhat. Four opponents was still manageable, but he had to fight more carefully now. Not exactly Desmond Waihee's style either.

The goddess sighed and spoke in a level tone, "Remember the words I had spoken Desmond. Master yourself and see your victory through the fires."

The Ranger frowned at the cryptic advice while he clashed with four warriors and fended them off. As he struggled, one of the warriors shoulder checked him in the side and sent Desmond tumbling toward the center of the room. As Desmond recovered and spun to his feet, he barely dodged another plume of volcanic fire that erupted from the miniature volcano in the chamber.

That was too close, he thought to himself as he desperately blocked the blows of all four enemies at once and spun them with a countermotion. Using his momentum, Desmond swept the weapons of all four warriors high exposing their guard and allowing the Ranger to wipe them out with a flamethrower attack of his weapon.

"Ha! Burned with my own fires too," Desmond announced proudly to Pele as his enemies evaporated away in a cloud of embers. To his surprise, Pele remained standing with her arms crossed wearing a stern look on her face. "You are not listening Desmond! Think!"

The Red Ranger didn't have a lot of time to catch his breath and think as eight shadow warriors now emerged to confront him. At this rate, the room would be filled and he would be completely overwhelmed. The warriors charged and Desmond grunted as he tumbled clear, blocking their blows and using even more defensive moves. There had to be some other way to destroy the spirit warriors. Every time he struck one down with his own hand, two more rose to take its place.

The miniature jet of fire in the center of the room erupted again just as Desmond blocked a warrior and shoved it aside, inadvertently pushing it into the fires. The warrior burst into ash and Desmond watched, waiting for another one to come... but it didn't. Now only seven enemies remained. Of course... Pele's words... it was all a metaphor. Desmond had to refrain from destroying his enemies with his own hand and use the natural fires to win him victory.

Another warrior charged him and Desmond rolled backwards, using the foe's momentum to throw it into the fires too. He glanced over to Pele who now broke into a wide smile and nodded gently. All right, two down and six to go. Each time the volcanic jet went off, Desmond stayed near and outmaneuvered each enemy until he pushed the last shadow warrior into the fires. As it died away, no new enemies appeared and the door leading forward slowly began to grind open.

Desmond fell to one knee, catching his breath and wiping his sweaty brow. That could have ended much worse and he blessed his lucky stars he had discerned the victory condition, even if it had originally been by accident. Pele shuffled beside him and offered him a hand up.

"Well done Desmond, you've passed your first trial. You've been reminded of the importance of using your observation and wisdom to win battles when brute force and emotion is not enough."

The Red Ranger nodded and slowly began to make his way toward the door with a feeling of dread in his heart. If that had been the first trial, he could only wonder what greater challenges lay ahead.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other Ocean Rangers spread out along the grassy grounds of the sacred grove to gather supplies for a campsite. After having their morphing bracelets rendered powerless by the island's magic, the Rangers now found themselves at a disadvantage and much more vulnerable. As a safety precaution, they paired up to watch each other's back while they went about their work.

After a short walk toward the far edge of the woods, David and Alex busied themselves collecting some food. Fortunately, with David's knowledge of the flora, he was able to pick out which fruits, nuts, and roots were edible and the two friends began to gather the food in a pile. David laid out his green over-shirt on the ground and they worked to stack the food on it so that they could bundle it up later.

While they worked, Alex tried to lighten the mood a little and turned to the Green Ranger with a small grin, "Hey Dave, I'm guessing this is bringing back some memories of your days with the Japanese military huh?"

David snorted in amusement as he sorted out some edible roots, "Oh sure... tramping around the woods carrying fifty pounds of gear over ten miles? I loved doing FTX. (field training exercises)

Alex continued to pick some papaya fruits from a low hanging tree and chuckled idly, "Well... I'm just glad you're around Dave. You always have a handy skill and it seems like you're a guy we can rely on in any situation."

He glanced over toward the Pink Ranger in surprise and felt his face grow a little warm having been caught off guard by the compliment. He quietly smiled to himself and got back to work. A while later, the two prepared to head back to the campsite with a full bundle of food when they heard an ominous rustling from the bushes nearby.

"What do you think that is?" Alex hissed quietly as she tensed up.

"No clue," David replied in a hushed voice. He took a moment to swallow his fear before he stepped forward. He knew that Alex was a tough courageous girl who could hold her own in a fight, but in this situation, he was still the man and he felt it was his job to be brave. Emboldened by Alex's words earlier, David summoned his great club weapon.

"Dave! What are you doing?" Alex asked but he hushed her.

"I'm going to take a quick look around. Wait here."

The Pink Ranger put her hands on her hips indignantly, "I appreciate the chivalry, but I don't need to be protected."

David sighed and rolled his eyes, "Tactics, woman. If there's an intruder, I'm going to flush him out so you can jump him, ok?"

"Oh... uh... I knew that," Alex replied sheepishly summoning her own weapons. "Just... be careful, ok?"

David nodded and headed off into the nearby bushes leaving Alex to sigh and restlessly look around the clearing. She turned her head a moment, but when she looked back, she was startled to find the sight of the faceless green sea hag Mujina emerge from the brush. She leveled her sorceress staff and cackled, "Now I've got you little girl."

Alex recoiled in fear before taking a fighting stance, "What are you doing here you witch? What did you do with David?"

"Oh you'll see the Green Ranger soon enough," Mujina maliciously cackled as she continued to advance, "Once I eliminate you, you can both meet in oblivion."

"No!" Alex growled through clenched teeth as the enraged Pink Ranger charged forward to do battle against the swamp hag.

Meanwhile, David made his way through the brush and found nothing. Giving a shrug, he made his way back to where he left Alex. Most likely the "intruder" had been some wild animal that got spooked and ran off. Either way, David was relieved that was the case, but as he walked back into the clearing, his heart froze as he spotted the sinister form of the mollusk warrior General Kuta waiting for him.

David tensed up and looked around in desperation, but there was no sight of Alex anywhere. "Kuta! Why are you here? Where is Alex?"

Kuta threw his head back and laughed through his tentacled maw, "That doesn't matter right now. If you want to see the Pink Ranger, you'll have to deal with me first."

"Whatever it takes then," David growled as he gripped his club and quickly advanced to rescue his friend.

What neither he or Alex realized was that in reality they were charging each other with their own weapons drawn. Whether it was the effects of the magic in the sacred grove, or the doing of the aumakua spirits, they could not be sure. All that the Green and Pink Rangers knew was that they were clashing with one of their enemies, unaware that some mysterious illusion magic was at work.

As the two Rangers clashed and began to unwittingly fight each other, neither of them noticed the two figures looking on in the clearing. A large Hawaiian man in green tribal clothes adorned with grass stood with a beautiful Hawaiian woman wearing a grass skirt and flowers in her hair. They looked to be man and wife and as they observed the events curiously, they held each others hands.

If the two Rangers had not been blinded by magic, they might have caught sight of the deities and recognized them as their own patron gods Lono the God of Nature and Peace, as well as his wife Laka, the goddess of Tradition and Hula. While the two gods patiently stood back from the battle that unfolded before them, they wore a worried expression, hoping that the Rangers would eventually be able to see through the enchantment they were under.

* * *

On the other side of the woods, Hannah and Naomi made their way through some brush until they came across a small natural spring. They had been tasked with looking for some fresh water and the sound of a trickling stream was music to their ears. The two girls hurried over to the cool refreshing water, splashing their faces and greedily drinking their fill before sitting back to rest a while.

"You think the others are having any better luck?" Hannah asked while washing her hands.

"Dave is the resident nature expert. I'm sure he'll be able to rustle up some grub for us," Naomi replied confidently. After a long pause, she gave a sigh, "I'll admit... when I came along on this trip, I wasn't exactly expecting us to rough it this badly either. Can you believe I've never been camping to begin with?"

The Orange Ranger smiled in amusement, "Yeah... you don't really strike me as an outdoorsy type of girl, err... no offense."

"None taken," Naomi chuckled good naturedly, "Coming from a wealthy family, I'll freely admit to being a little bit of a spoiled princess in that regard."

"Aw, trust me. Camping's really not that bad," Hannah said cheerfully, "Whenever my Dad wasn't too busy flying missions or doing training exercises, he'd take me and my mom on camping trips sometimes. Those were always fun... except in those cases we weren't stranded on some magic island with scary ghost things threatening to kill us."

"Best we keep the glass half full," Naomi sighed in agreement, "Speaking of which... how are we going to transport some of this water back to the campsite?"

Hannah scratched her chin in thought before rising to her feet and summoning her hook blade weapon. She walked over toward a coconut tree and picked up a few large coconuts before tossing them in the air and splitting them clean in half with a slash of her weapon. The Orange Ranger proudly picked up the hollowed out coconut shells and presented them to her friend.

"Hopefully David can find some natural gourd plants that we can fill wilth water. In the mean time, we can use these coconuts. What do you think?"

"I think I'm glad I partnered up with you today," the Yellow Ranger smiled while affectionately tousling the teen's hair.

"I'm sure Maui would be really proud of me too," Hannah said looking at her hook weapon for a minute. "Let's go fill up these shells."

As the two girls headed over toward the natural spring ad bent down to collect water, Hannah glanced idly over toward the treeline and froze as she spotted the familiar face of Murry... or rather her patron deity. The trickster demigod wore a concerned expression and pointed to the waters shaking his head.

Hannah frowned in surprise and confusion, "Maui? I... what's going on?"

Naomi glanced over curiously, "Hannah? What's wrong?"

The Yellow Ranger stopped and froze in as she glanced back into the waters of the spring. Instead of seeing her reflection, she was greeted by the sight of her beautiful late mother who extended her arms out in a welcoming gesture.

"Mom?" Naomi murmured in wonder as she reached for the surface of the water. In a heartbeat, the image of her mother changed into the malevolent visage of the sea witch Hine Nui. The ancient goddess of Death and Darkness extended her arms out toward Naomi in what looked to be some sort of optical illusion, but it became all too real when the girl felt a pair of cold icy hands burst from the water and grab her violently by the neck.

Hannah tore her gaze away from Maui and whirled around in horror to see her friend and fellow Ranger be pulled headfirst into waters by some mysterious force. She didn't see what had happened and she didn't know what was going on either. All she knew was that her companion was in danger so she did the only logical thing she could think of. She dove headfirst into the water after Naomi.


	54. Ha'aha'a: Humility

**Episode 27: Part 2  
**

Naomi Sato gasped amid a storm of bubbles as she was dragged into the cold water. The pale deathly hands of what looked to be Hine Nui continued to grip Naomi's throat, squeezing the breath out of her while pulling the Ranger deeper. Like the temple Desmond was trapped in, the mysterious freshwater spring was much deeper than it outwardly appeared too.

Despite having been caught off guard, Naomi thrashed in the water and tried to kick back up to free herself. She was a strong swimmer and hoped it would be of benefit here, but her lungs were already beginning to burn from the lack of air. When she had been pulled in, any extra oxygen had been expelled when she tried to shout for help.

The icy hands of the witch held firm and squeezed again, choking Naomi while the visage of Hine Nui smiled in delight. It was as if she was taking some sick pleasure from the murderous act. The Yellow Ranger sputtered in desperation and reached up for the surface of the water when she felt Hannah's hand tightly grip her wrist.

The younger Orange Ranger, who was also a strong swimmer in her own right, tugged back with stubborn determination to free her ally. Despite her tenacity, Hannah quickly realized that she wasn't strong enough and needed more force on her side. She quickly looked around the water, searching for a rocky handhold she could brace herself with, but none availed themselves. As she began to get pulled down with Naomi, Hannah looked upward and saw the edge of the spring. That was when sudden but desperate inspiration struck her.

With one swift motion, she called her hook weapon and whipped it upward so that the head of the tool burst from the water and latched on to an outcropping of the spring like a grappling hook. Seeing that the end was secure, Hannah clamped down tightly on Naomi's wrist and retracted her hook whip to pull them both from the depths. The sudden forceful pull from the hook surprised the evil spirit below and its grasp on Naomi slipped.

The Orange Ranger gave a victorious shout underwater as the hook-whip continued to retract and the two girls burst free from the water. Hannah grunted and panted as she dragged her older friend to the edge of the spring and rolled her away from the edge of the water.

Naomi gasped for air and coughed violently while spitting up water from her throat. When she had recovered, she turned to see the exhausted Orange Ranger beside her, offering a steadying hand. Naomi gripped it and pulled the girl into a grateful hug, "Hannah... you saved my life. Thank you."

After she let go, Naomi sighed, "I owe you big time for this."

"Don't sweat it," Hannah replied trying to play it off as nothing, but she was clearly just as shaken too. "Um... I've got to ask, but what just happened now with the pool of water?"

The two girls took a minute to catch their breath and exchange stories about what they had just seen. As they finished, Naomi rose and backed away further from the spring, "I don't know what's going on here, but this place is not safe. We'd better get back to camp to warn Cam and the others."

"Sounds good," Hannah answered while gripping her weapon and giving a spooked look, "Uh... I'm right behind you."

* * *

A small cloud of splinters erupted as Cam split off another section of wood from the fallen trunk of a tree. The Blue Ranger stayed near the campsite, to stand guard while gathering wood for a fire. After he hacked off another piece of the log with his Ranger sword, he stopped to catch his breath before gathering the firewood. As he piled it up, he caught sight of a small wooden tiki sticking out of the ground with a familiar carving on it.

He set down the firewood and ambled over, bending down to examine the statue more carefully. As he ran his fingers along the intricately carved face, he jumped as a voice startled him from behind, "A strange place for that tiki, don't you think, son?"

Cam whirled around and pointed his saber only to find it was just the elderly groundskeeper Nalo. He breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his weapon, "Oh! Nalo… it's just you."

"You were interested in that tiki?" Nalo asked curiously as he calmly ambled over and began to dust it off with his palm leaves.

Cam nodded, "Yeah… I recognize that one. That is Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the Sea."

Nalo smiled in playful amusement, "Impressive. I didn't think a haole like you would even know, much less care."

Cam smiled slightly, "It's ironic, I actually didn't start bothering to learn until some old Hawaiian man in a park started beating me over the head with a broom. Funny how it all comes full circle, huh?"

Nalo smiled and continued to go about his work, "Well, I find it hard to believe some old decrepit man was beating you with a stick. That's an impressive looking weapon in your hand. You're some sort of warrior?"

"I… guess you could say that," Cam admitted carefully. "The Navy seems to think so anyway."

"Ah, so you're a sailing man," Nalo sighed, "Then I'm sure you know that Kanaloa is a good deity to have on your side.

Cam snorted and began gathering his firewood again, "If you say so. I must have done something to piss him off if he stranded my friends and I here."

The elderly man chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure he couldn't have been that upset. You could just as easily say that he saved you from the storm and let you wash up on the beach still alive."

Cam eyed him curiously, "You said you were a sailor too. You trust in Kanaloa then?"

Nalo smiled and showed off the octopus tattoos on his hands, "If I didn't, I wouldn't have his animal symbol marked upon me, right?"

"Point taken Gramps," Cam laughed, "I just wish I had eight arms too right now so that I could carry all this wood."

Nalo smiled and adjusted the tiki, "If you truly seek Kanaloa's favor, it's much better to demonstrate wisdom and the ability to see through the false things in life. Be like the deep waters which reflects a still mind and shows you the truth."

"Thanks… I'll keep that in mind," Cam said before he heard the sound of footfalls crunching through the nearby undergrowth. To his shock, both Hannah and Naomi burst into the clearing wearing fearful expressions. As they neared, he could see that both of them were completely soaked with water.

"Cam! You're ok… we've got trouble," Hannah gasped, "There's something evil… illusions in the woods. I think Maui tried to warn me, but then Naomi got dragged into a pond and almost drowned…"

"Oh my God, are you ok?" Cam asked putting his arms over Naomi in a protective hug to calm her down.

"Yeah," she replied softly, "Hannah saved me… but something is out there… maybe it's the aumakua spirits?"

The Blue Ranger frowned and pondered over the situation as he continued to comfort his girlfriend. It was at that moment he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he abruptly let go of Naomi and then turned to Hannah, "We have to move now! If those spirits are out there, Dave and Alex might be in danger too!"

The Yellow and Orange Rangers blinked in sudden realization before nodding and taking off after him across the meadows. From where he stood, Nalo watched with calm indifference as the three Ocean Rangers darted off to help their friends. He gave the wooden tiki a loving pat on the head and smiled, "Well, I think things have just started to become interesting, don't you think?"

* * *

Alex nimbly tumbled out the way as David's club smashed the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust. As she recovered her stance, she sprung back in a counter-attack and tried to lash out with her coral knuckle weapons. "You're going to have move faster than that Mujina."

David growled and reversed the grip on his weapon to block Alex's strike and shove her backwards, keeping some distance between them. "Not bad Kuta, I'd almost think you've been taking your vitamins."

Alex grunted and brushed aside a strand of loose hair, perceiving an insult from Mujina. She crouched low and burst forward using her agility to make a cartwheel attack before springing up to do a spinning takedown on her opponent. David backpedalled a moment, believing that Kuta was attempting a flying clothesline attack before he planted his feet and braced himself for a counter. Alex wrapped an arm around David's neck and spun him to the ground but she gasped in surprise as David went along with the takedown and used the momentum to slip free of her grasp. David gave a triumphant laugh as he rolled free and gripped his foe's wrists, pinning her to the ground.

Alex grunted in desperation and used a lua grappling move to swing her legs around her opponent's waist, trying to use the strength of her lower body to squeeze and cause pain. As David continued pinning his comrade to the ground while resisting the submission hold, he glanced up to the treeline and caught sight of both Lono and Laka watching them. In a moment of clarity, he looked down and saw Alex struggling on the ground under him, but when he blinked, it was General Kuta again.

Something was wrong. What was Lono, the god of Peace doing here? His thoughts snapped back to the battle as he felt his enemy squeeze again causing some minor pain in his ribs. The Green Ranger gritted his teeth and prepared to drive his foe into the dirt again when he was suddenly blindsided by another body and knocked sideways. David rolled along the ground struggling against his assailant but stopped when he saw who had tackled him.

"Cam? What the hell are you doing?" David cried out in agitation.

The Blue Ranger quickly put his friend in a gentle hammerlock and struggled to keep him restrained on the ground, "Easy Dave! Chill out! You're fighting the wrong person!"

David thrashed back against Cam for a moment before looking to where General Kuta was, only to see Alex instead.

By now, Naomi had dove in and held Alex back by the waist, restraining the Pink Ranger until she shook off the illusion as well.

"Let go!" Alex shouted angrily, "I have to get Mujina! I... what?"

When the dust cleared, Alex and David sat on the ground staring at each other with dumbfounded expressions while Cam and Naomi let go of them.

"What is going on?" Hannah fearfully asked as she picked up the fallen club and knuckles on the ground nearby. "Why are you two fighting? And with your weapons?"

Alex took several deep breaths trying to calm down from the shock of what had just happened, "Mujina… she was here… I thought David was… and then I fought…"

David nodded in shame, "I thought you were General Kuta… he said he took you so I… I'm sorry Alex… I could have hurt you badly just now."

Both friends reached out and squeezed each other's hands as a show of regret and reconciliation before Hannah scanned the empty clearing. "We should get out of here. Get back to the campsite before any more freaky things happen."

"Agreed," Cam nodded with a stony expression as he helped Alex to her feet. "Grab the food bundle and let's go. From here on out, we stick together until we can figure out our next move."

With no objections from the others, the Rangers quickly picked up their belongings and hurried back to camp. As they moved together through the woods in close formation, Nalo's words began to make a lot more sense in the Blue Ranger's mind.

* * *

The flickering light of Desmond's flaming spearhead illuminated the narrow hallway leading deeper into the temple of Kane as the Red Ranger made his way with the goddess Pele. Shadowy forms on the stone walls danced amid the flickering light causing a feeling of mild paranoia to grip Desmond. After fighting a handful of fearsome shadow warriors in the prior trial chamber, he kept expecting that more umbral warriors would suddenly materialize out of the walls to try and kill him.

Aside from the sound of his shuffling feet along the dusty floors, the silence of the dark temple was overwhelming, as if it were some malevolent crypt that sought to swallow all light and noise. Despite the foreboding atmosphere, Desmond pushed ahead until he came to another wide circular room. At the other end of the room was a great stone statue blocking the door forward. It had a large tiki head making Desmond think of Kanohi for a moment, but it was hard to discern the face.

Once the Ranger entered the circular arena floor, the periphery of the ring lit up with fire. Across the way, the statue changed form to become a fearsome looking warrior in metallic armor which still bore a tribal Hawaiian motif. The eyes of the warriors tiki head lit up with a fearsome scowl and Desmond immediately recognized it to be Ku, the Hawaiian god of War.

"Great is the warrior chief who knows where true victory lies," Pele said as she stepped aside once more, "To win a victory solely for one's self is no victory at all. Should you seek to win, remember the value of others and advance with Dignity."

"Great... another riddle," Desmond muttered as the animated vessel of Ku began to advance on him. The tiki warrior's eyes glowed with raging fire and it dragged a multi-spiked spear along the ground to intimidate him. At that moment, Desmond decided that he had to go all out and whatever it took to win this next fight. He raised his red coral Ocean Bracer and called upon its power.  
To his surprise and relief, he felt the familiar surge of energy swirl around him and transform him into the Red Ocean Ranger. If the god of War was going to test him, now Desmond was ready. He leveled his weapon and swallowed his fear, "All right Ku... let's see how tough you really are!"

The large tiki warrior rushed forward with surprising speed and swung his serrated spear more like a club. Although Desmond took a defensive stance and blocked the strike, the blow was so forceful that it still threw him backwards several feet and knocked him off balance. That was an ominous sign. Even with his enhanced strength and speed, Desmond had to be careful. If he got careless and took one too many bad hits, he'd be even more vulnerable unmorphed.

He took a breath and steadied himself again while Ku turned to continue the fight.

"There's got to be a way to beat you," Desmond muttered grimly, "Pele must have given me a hint just now... I just have to figure out what that is."

No sooner had he said that, Desmond dove for cover as the tiki warrior reared back and unleashed a searing cloud of fire from his mouth while the flames lining the temple arena only grew higher.

* * *

 **Aright everyone, we're going to call a brief time-out here... mostly so that the Author can catch his breath. The second half of the Chieftain Arc will resume shortly after the coming holiday. To all my fellow Americans out there, have a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend! :)**


	55. Hakaka: Combat

**Episode 28: Part 1  
**

A spray of tiles and rocks erupted as Desmond Waihee tumbled away from another mighty blow of his opponent. The hulking avatar of Ku, the Hawaiian god of War, lumbered about and slashed at the air with his spear, warding the Red Ranger away from counterattacking.

"Damn!" Desmond growled as he leapt backwards and kept a defensive posture with his spear. While he backpedaled, Desmond could feel the intense heat of the flames that lined the arena floor and trapped him in the ring. Despite his own affinity for the fire element, he was still feeling a little uncomfortable from the stifling air. Across the arena, the volcano goddess Pele stood with an impassive expression, seemingly unaffected by the danger or the heat.

The Red Ranger edged around the periphery of the ring trying to come up with a strategy to fight back. So far, he had succeeded in landing a few blows with his own spear, but none of them seemed to do any significant damage to the avatar. That was probably to be expected though. Ku was a war god, so giving and receiving fierce blows was second nature to him. His current strategy obviously was not working and Desmond's mind worked furiously to come up with another plan.

From the looks of it, there was nothing in the immediate environment that he could use to his advantage, though it was also likely that Pele was challenging him in a different way. Desmond had needed to use Wisdom in the prior trial so it was possible he had to use another virtue now. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell what that was. Right now, he was "fighting for himself" and there were no "others" to help him either.

He stubbornly dug in his heels and took a ready stance as the imposing avatar of Ku trundled forward. Desmond waited patiently while fighting off the growing despair in his heart. Right now, it looked like he had one other option and he had to make it count. The moment that the tiki warrior was upon him, Desmond braced himself as Ku raised his weapon to slam it down on him. Just as the avatar opened his guard, Desmond rolled sideways and thrust his spear up to strike at his enemy's armpit. Unfortunately, the avatar seemed to anticipate the move and brought his other hand around to block Desmond's thrust.

As the Red Ranger's spear glanced off Ku's wrist, the avatar brought its weapon around and slammed it into Desmond, throwing him violently across the floor. Desmond felt his ribs explode in pain as he rolled to a stop along the ground and demorphed from the vicious blow. He had gambled and lost... and now, all he could do was to lie there while his enemy moved to finish him off.

Desmond struggled on the ground and desperately tried to rise, but he had the wind knocked out of him and he was still too stunned to move. Pele continued to watch solemnly while the avatar of Ku loomed over the Red Ranger and readied another searing breath of fire. Fear gripped Desmond as he stumbled backward on the ground, feebly raising his arm to shield himself. He realized the situation had become hopeless but he called out in desperation for the help of his absent friends.

"Cam! Naomi! Anyone... please help!"

To his surprise, the avatar of Ku reared back and the flames from its mouth abated. The tiki warrior lowered its weapon and stood motionless as the flames of the arena died down. From where he lay on the ground, Desmond looked around in confusion and saw Pele approach him with a satisfied nod, "Congratulations Desmond... you've passed your second trial."

The Red Ranger frowned as she helped him rise to his feet, "I don't understand Pele. I lost. Ku had me dead to rights just now."

Pele smiled quietly, "Yes, but this was a battle you were not supposed to win. You recognized that you couldn't do this by yourself and that you needed your friends. You demonstrated your Humility, which is an important virtue for any great warrior chief. They alone cannot win victories without their warriors and neither can you."

Desmond eyed the inert avatar of Ku and nodded. While Desmond had always been more of a team player, this near death experience only helped to reinforce that point to him. With that, Pele handed him his spear and gestured to the passageway leading further, "Come Desmond, your third and final trial awaits."

Desmond took another deep breath and ignited his spear to light the way. He had already come this far and now he was close to achieving his goal. He had come even closer to disaster in this test just now, and he couldn't help but wonder if this last test would be too much. The Red Ranger took another moment to gather his courage and focus on the task at hand. Whatever danger lay ahead, he would have to face it bravely like all the others that came before.

* * *

Upon returning their makeshift campsite, the other Ocean Rangers found the elderly groundskeeper Nalo lounging on a large rock, enjoying the sun and listening to the peaceful sounds of the chirping birds in the trees. He was likely taking a break from his duties and he lazily regarded them as they neared.

Alex was the first to push forward and confront the old man. She was still shaken from her own frightening experience earlier and she tried to suppress that fear with aggression instead, "Nalo, wake up. We have some questions for you."

The older man sighed in boredom and remained in his spot. As he slowly turned his head, Alex spoke again, "You've been stuck here long enough so you know these aumakua spirits. Why are they toying with us? What do they want?"

"I told you before, they're trying to punish you for trespassing on their land," Nalo yawned.

David crossed his arms, "Well, if they really want to fight and kill us, what are they waiting for?"

The older man glanced across the grove of tikis and gave a smile, "Perhaps you can ask them. It seems like they've come to finish the job."

The other Rangers all turned and followed Nalo's gaze to where a small group of the cloaked aumakua spirits had gathered. The Rangers watched as one of the spirits stepped forward with a second spirit close behind. The lead spirit gestured toward the Rangers and clenched a fist.

"Interesting..." Nalo mused aloud, "It seems they want to have a duel... probably with your own leader."

The five young people exchanged uneasy glances before the others turned toward the Blue Ranger. Cam tightened his features and stepped forward, "Well... since our Red Ranger is still MIA, I guess this is my fight."

"You can't be serious," Hannah said in concern while trying to stop him.

He shook his head and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "We don't have any other choices Hannah. While we're stuck on this island, we'll have to play by their rules now."

As he stepped past her and walked forward to confront the spirits, he said, "If we're going to duel, I'm going to need a Second to back me up."

Alex stepped up beside him and gave a brave nod, "I've got your back."

Nalo continued to watch in quiet amusement as the Rangers headed across the meadow to square off against the spirits. As Cam called upon his sharkfin saber, he regarded the others grimly, "Keep an eye on the other spirits. If they even make a move, take it to em."

A fearful looking Naomi stepped forward to give him a kiss before stepping back, "Be careful Cam."

He nodded and stepped forward to confront the leader of the spirits with Alex close behind him. The lead spirit waited patiently and extended a hand. In a puff of dark smoke, it summoned a long curved blade and took a ready stance.

The Blue Ranger gripped his own blade and waited for a long moment before he made the first attack. Both fighters locked weapons and the sounds of ringing steel echoed through the forested meadow. The other Rangers watched as the battle of the swordsmen raged back and forth. Neither one was able to land a blow or gain a clear advantage over the other.

As he dodged and parried another strike, Cam growled in frustration as he tried to break his enemy's guard, only to have the spirit warrior parry his attack with the same counter move he had used just moments before. The Blue Ranger feinted again and lowered his guard for a moment to bait his enemy. He saw the warrior shift its stance and open its guard on the opposite end. Cam saw his opportunity and slashed, only for the warrior to counter-slash just in time to block the strike. The blades clashed together in a shower of sparks causing both fighters to stagger back from the recoil.

Alex instinctively moved forward to help her friend and she saw the second warrior spirit move with her just as aggressively. "Oh no you don't."

Cam blinked in surprise as Alex hurried beside him and called her Ocean Dagger. The Pink Ranger locked in battle with the other spirit as it pulled a dark knife weapon of its own. The other Rangers held their breath as the duel suddenly became a two-on-two melee. Just like Cam, Alex found her opponent to be just as quick and agile as she was. She panted and took a defensive stance realizing her enemy was able to block and counter every move she made too.

While she locked in battle again, Cam glanced over to Nalo nearby, then observed Alex's battle for a moment. Of course... it was all beginning to make sense. Every time they made an attack, their opponent would counter and use the exact same moves back on them. It's like they were fighting their own shadows.

He decided to test his theory by stepping back and lowering his guard. To his surprise, his enemy did the same. When Cam raised his blade and made a quick fake-out jab, the warrior did the same. He studied his enemy again and lowered his weapon, "Alex! Fall back. I think we should take a breather."

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Alex grunted as she struggled against her opponent, "They're going to kill us!"

"No," he called back, "They're trying to get us to kill ourselves. Just trust me on this!"

Alex disengaged and stepped back, lowering her weapon. To her shock, her opponent did the same. "What... is going on here?"

"Looks like more illusion magic," Cam answered while casting a level gaze at Nalo. The old man was sitting up with a wide smile on his face.

"Are you guys ok?" Hannah called out to her friends in concern, "Are you hurt?"

Alex shook her head and turned back to the Blue Ranger, "Cam, how are you going to beat your enemy? It knows your every move."

"True," he smiled, "But that thing doesn't know yours. We're going to finish them with a surprise change up, on my signal. Are you ready?"

Alex gripped her dagger and took a deep breath, "Ok... let's do this."

Both Rangers sprung into action and locked weapons with their mirror enemies again. As he swept his foe's blade sideways, Cam turned his stance and shoulder rammed his opponent in Alex's direction, "Alex! Switch it up!"

The Pink Ranger nodded and grabbed her enemy's forearm. Using a swinging dancing move, she pulled her enemy toward Cam and recovered her stance to take on her new foe. Having been caught off balance, the new warrior stumbled as Alex rushed forward and used a flying takedown to surprise her enemy. The warrior fell to the ground and tried to being its sword arm up, but Alex pinned its shoulder with her knee and drove her dagger into its throat.

Meanwhile Cam moved on Alex's original opponent and disarmed it with a well placed sword strike. The spirit's dagger went flying off into the grass as Cam shifted his stance and slashed the warrior across the midsection. As it staggered, the Blue Ranger followed through and brought his blade around for a finishing blow. The saber cleft into the cloaked warrior's shoulder and it's head evaporated in a cloud of smoke, having been effectively decapitated.

The other Rangers gave a loud cheer of joy as Alex and Cam slapped five and put their arms over each other with relieved smiles. Their little victory celebration was interrupted as they heard the sound of clapping hands and turned back to where the old groundskeeper had been sitting. Instead of seeing the old man, the five Rangers were shocked to see a Hawaiian man wearing a deep blue tribal cloak. He was a tall older man, but he still had a powerful build and a muscular physique. His weathered face had lines of wisdom on it and his blue eyes sparkled with pride. This was Nalo's true form, the ancient sea god Kanaloa.

"Well done! Well done all of you," the god laughed as he sat up from the rock and walked over toward them. As he approached, the Rangers heard the sounds of other people applauding them. They turned in surprise and saw the forms of other Hawaiian gods emerge into the meadow: Lono and Laka, Maui, and the god of the winds, Paka'a.

The Blue Ranger lowered his sword and stared with wide eyes as his own patron god walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kanaloa... it was you all along."

The god of the seas gave a serene smile, "You fought well Cameron Monroe, both in body in mind. I'm impressed and I'm sure Kanohi would be too... of all of you. You Ocean Rangers have proven yourselves truly worthy of our help."

Naomi stepped forward and bowed her head before the elder god, "Uh... great Kanaloa... sir, I think we're all still a little confused. What is going on here? Where is our ship, and where is our friend Desmond?"

Kanaloa looked to the other gods for a moment and gestured for the Rangers to follow him. "Come with us Rangers. You have many questions, and we have much to discuss."


	56. Maka'u: Fear

**Episode 28: Part 2  
**

Bright gentle sunlight streamed down through the leafy trees overhead as the other Ocean Rangers sat resting in the secluded springs that Desmond had originally found himself in that day. As they relaxed in the cool waters and enjoyed the shade and sweet fruits that grew nearby, the Rangers conversed with the Hawaiian gods, learning more about what was going on.

"This was in fact the island that Pele had told you about," Kanaloa said as he lounged in the waters. "As we speak, your friend Desmond is undergoing the grueling trials to prove himself worthy of the power to ward off Hine Nui's magic."

"All right," Cam said with a nod, "But why did we have to go through those near fatal experiences and the battle in the grove too?"

The god the winds, Paka'a answered from nearby, "We needed to test the virtue and worthiness of you five as well. Should your friend Desmond succeed in his quest, the five of you will each be empowered with a fraction of that gift."

"So it's a sort of shared power?" David asked curiously. As usual, his mind was always turning and trying to think several steps ahead.

Lono, the Green Ranger's patron god gave a gentle smile and tilted his head, "In a manner of speaking. In the case of the great Hawaiian kings and chiefs, their 'mana' or spiritual power passes through their bloodlines, allowing them greater powers and in the past, a right to rule."

Lono's wife Laka sat down beside him and handed him a piece of fruit while continuing the explanation, "The first Red Ocean Ranger _Ka'ena_ was a unique exception in that he shared his great mana with his fellow Rangers. He recognized the strengths and talents of his companions so he empowered them with it, making them stronger than the power Kanohi had granted them all after sacrificing himself. It was because those warriors acted as one that Hine Nui was vanquished."

"If Desmond recovers _Ka'ena's_ power, he will be able to draw upon it and share it with you during dire battles," Maui added as he washed his hands at the edge of the spring.

"I'm still curious about one thing though," Hannah said, "How is it possible for all of you gods and goddesses to be together at once? It makes me wonder if the islands are in greater danger than we think."

Her patron god Maui grinned proudly, "Very perceptive of you Hannah. Darkness and Death are incredibly powerful domains meaning that Hine Nui Te Po is a being with vast power. She originated from the ancient Maori lands and she crossed the seas to our islands. She sought to conquer and enslave our people, so we gods of Hawaii needed to band together and fight back. Her threat is very real and grows by the day. That is why we stand united now."

Kanaloa nodded in solemn agreement before gesturing to the wind god Paka'a. "Maui is correct that Hine Nui threatens all of us. That is why we each grant you boons so that you can continue your fight."

Paka'a spoke next, "David, Lono had granted you the ritual to call on his rejuvenating breath in order to preserve life. Alexandra, Laka had given you the ritual of warming light to heal and protect those around you. And Hannah, Maui had given you his magic fishing hook to serve as your weapon and multipurpose tool for whatever unusual obstacle confronts you."

Naomi looked to the sea god curiously, "What about Cam and I? We haven't been given any special weapons or ritual powers yet."

Kanaloa smiled, "Patience child. The objects we will give you are of three royal treasures containing great power. They were granted to great kings and heroes of the past. Perhaps you already know of the third treasure... a bracelet of volcanic rock. The Tears of Pele currently belong to your friend Desmond."

The Rangers exchanged a curious look with each other before Kanaloa removed the scallop shell pendant that he wore around his neck and stepped before Cam. When the god opened his hand, the seashell had grown in size to become a large impressive shield. The shell was as hard as steel and coated with a reflective blue enamel substance.

The sea god handed the artifact to the Blue Ranger with a smile, "Cameron, you are a warrior who is steadfast and true. It's only fitting that my shield goes to one who has pledged his own life to defend others. With this shield is the power to deflect the dark sorcery of Benthic spellcasters."

"Very cool," Cam said admiring the shield. He gave his head a reverent bow to the elder deity and smiled, "Thank you Kanaloa. I'll promise to use it well."

As he stepped back, Paka'a approached with a yellow bird's feather. With a flick of his wrist, the god of the winds transfigured it into an impressive yellow cloak with a finely embroidered feather pattern upon it. "Naomi, with my cloak, you will have mastery over the air. No longer will you be limited by obstacles on the ground, but now you can soar and glide like a seabird on the ocean winds."

"I like the sound of that," the Yellow Ranger smiled as she draped the cloak around her shoulders, "I'm sure this will be really useful later on."

"All that remains now is for Desmond to survive his trial," Kanaloa said looking to the other Rangers, "Would you care to wait for him at the final point of the temple?"

"We'll wait as long as it takes," Cam nodded as he strapped his shield to his back and gestured for the other Rangers to join him.

"If he makes it," Alex reminded him, but the Blue Ranger frowned and turned with a determined look toward the stone path leading from the spring to the temple.

"He'll make it. He's got to."

* * *

The sounds of gently running water echoed throughout the dark chambers of the temple as Desmond Waihee made his way deeper inside. After navigating a narrow winding tunnel, he finally came across a wide circular chamber. It had a high ceiling and was ringed with great stone support pillars. As the Red Ranger entered with Pele, several torches that were fastened to the pillars sprung to life casting a dim glow about the room. At the far edges of the room, Desmond could make out the sight of running water in the dim light. Just like the ring of fire that Desmond had originally been trapped in, the semi-circular pool of water formed what looked to be some sort of underground pavilion.

Desmond cautiously stopped to take a look around the silent chamber before slowly making his way to the center of the pavilion with Pele. After along moment of silence, the Red Ranger gripped his spear and muttered quietly, "Okay… who do I have to fight now?"

"Yourself," Pele said calmly as she led him to the edge of the dark waters lining the pavilion, "Great is the warrior chief who masters his opponents through his wisdom. Greater still is the chief who masters their pride and understands his own limitations. Greatest of all is the chief who can master himself and confront that which he fears the most above all others."

Desmond looked at his reflection in the waters, then turned around to see that Pele had disappeared. The goddess had left him alone in the dark room and the Ranger quickly made his way back to the center of the pavilion. As he did, he noticed the torch lights of the pillars begin to wane and dim, obscuring his vision more.

At the periphery of the pillars that circled the pavilion, Desmond jumped as he caught sight of movement in the darkness. Whatever it was, it was fast and stayed at the corner of his sight, which made it difficult to discern. The Red Ranger leveled his flaming spear and waved it gently to try and ward off whatever danger was lurking in the shadows.

He swallowed his own apprehension and called out a loud challenge to try and keep his spirits up, "Hey! Yeah you! What's the matter? Too scared to come out and show yourself?"

Desmond immediately fell silent as he heard the sound of scuttling against the stone floors along with low burbling growls coming from the shadows. The Red Ranger tensed and spotted the outlines of several figures circling him. As he raised his weapon, he jumped aside as a dark beast sprung toward him. It looked to be some freakish sea creature resembling a cross between a squid and a crustacean. Its tentacled maw snapped at him and Desmond batted it aside as two more beasts rushed out from different directions and charged past him. They abruptly changed direction and made another leaping attack, forcing the Ranger to roll aside and avoid them.

Desmond clenched his weapon and jabbed the spearhead back at the beasts, forcing them to scuttle back into the darkness. This was definitely ironic, a fisherman being stalked and hunted by sea creatures that he normally caught. The Red Ranger wiped aside a line of sweat and breathed heavily, trying to keep his cool in such a terrifying place.

As he saw the creatures dive back into the water, Desmond took a step forward, wondering if the test was over.

Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a feminine figure emerging from the dark waters. She had pale skin and long scraggly black hair that hung down over her face like seaweed. She also wore a long dark dress that was black as the night and trailed behind her. As the sinister figure rose from the waters and dripped water in her wake, she approached slowly, her face still obscured by her hair.

Desmond took a step back and felt his pulse quicken. He had a pretty good idea who that was and knew that if she came any closer, his heart would beat right out of his chest. He took several quick breaths and leveled his weapon, trying to convince himself that this couldn't be real.

"That's far enough Hine Nui! Don't you dare take a step closer!" he shouted while trying to regain his courage.

The sea witch raised her head and parted her hair. For being such a horrible ancient evil, her features were surprisingly fair and beautiful. It was the kind of striking supernatural beauty though that did not put one at ease, but rather paralyzed an observer with awe at the witch's unearthly presence. She fixed him with her piercing dark eyes and gave a haunting smile, "Or you'll what, mortal? Strike me down? That would be unwise."

"Shut up!" Desmond called back, "You're not real! This can't be right. How can you be my greatest fear?"

Hine Nui smiled and stepped closer, "It's not me who you fear Desmond. It's what I represent. Remember that I am the incarnate powers of Darkness, Death, and Decay."

"I'm not afraid to die," Desmond shouted back in defiance while pointing his spear directly at the sea witch.

"You may not fear me," Hine Nui said calmly as she stood in front of him, "But you fear what I can do to everything around you."

She gestured to both shadowy ends of the pavilion and made a beckoning motion to summon two figures from the darkness. Desmond watched in horror as he saw the ghostly likenesses of his two parents come to stand beside her.

"You're afraid of being left alone again Desmond," said Hine Nui, "You fear the darkness taking everything and everyone you love away, just as it did when you were a young child."

Desmond felt his resolve waver and his body went numb, "That's a lie! I'm not alone anymore! I have the other Ocean Rangers… friends who love and care about me."

"Friends who are just as frail and mortal as you are child," the sea witch smiled as she waved her hands and dissipated the shades of Desmond's parents. "You cannot fight me Desmond. Death is just as natural a part of life as the initial act of Creation is."

The Ranger trembled and clutched his weapon before raising it again, "Maybe, but if I die, it's going to be on my own terms. Not yours!"

The sea witch's serene expression gave way to horrific fury and her black eyes blazed with unnatural fire. Before Desmond could react, Hine Nui lashed out and gripped his throat with one hand, squeezing tightly. With supernatural strength, the ancient goddess began to lift him up into the air as her figure grew larger and took on a smokey-shadowy property.

"You impudent worm! You dare to defy me!" she shrieked. The booming sound of her voice echoed in the chamber and shook the entire cavern.

Desmond choked and gasped for air as he felt himself be lifted up by the throat, "I may not have been able to stop you from taking my parents when I was little, but I sure as hell won't let you take my friends now… not without a fight."

The sea witch brought her other enlarged hand around to cover his head and suffocate him but Desmond brought his spear around and forced every ounce of his strength and will into his weapon. The head of the polearm began to blaze as brightly as the sun as he reared it around and thrust it into the growing shadows. He gripped the weapon tightly as he felt a great force of darkness pushing against him like a tidal wave. Even as he felt the pain of the sea witch's crushing grip around his neck, Desmond screamed in defiance as he continued to push back with his radiant spear.

No sooner had he exhaled, the light from the spear detonated and momentarily blinded him. An unknowable amount of time passed until Desmond's head cleared and his vision came back into focus. To his surprise, he found himself lying on his back upon the cold stone floor of the temple chamber. Kneeling beside him was his patron goddess Pele who laid a gentle hand upon his forehead.

"Pele… I… what happened?" the Red Ranger groaned as he struggled to sit up.

The goddess of the volcanoes smiled warmly and kept him from rising, "Be still. You have earned it."

"Wait... I'm not… dead… am I?"

Pele shook her head with a gentle laugh, "No, quite the opposite. You succeeded in your final trial."

Desmond gave a long sigh, "A test of Fear and Courage?"

The goddess gently helped him to his feet, "Yes. I have never seen such an impressive display of courage and defiance before. I am so proud of you."

The Red Ranger steadied his breathing and nodded as he leaned upon his spear for support, "What about _Ka'ena's_ powers? And what about my other friends?"

Pele took his arm as the floor of the pavilion underneath them began to glow with a gentle light, "You will see them soon enough. Right now is the time to claim what is rightfully yours."

Desmond looked around in confusion, "Uh… where are we going?"

Pele smiled brightly and pointed toward the ceiling, which had given way to a tunnel of light leading skyward, "The answer is simple. We're going up to the final chamber, of course. There, your friends, and the greater powers await you."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Aright, thanks for being patient everyone! The trials are over and we're at the last part of the story arc now. It's going to be time to show off those new powers. No doubt Hine Nui's forces are about to get a major butt kicking in the next episode. See you then!**


	57. Ikaika: Strength

**Episode 29: Part 1  
**

When the light faded, Desmond Waihee found himself atop the wide circular roof of the grand stone temple to Kane. The darkness and dread of the caverns below had now given way to bright sunlight, fresh air, and blue skies above. The goddess Pele remained beside him and let go his arm so that he could reorient himself. As the Red Ranger rubbed his eyes, he saw several other figures who had gathered to wait for him. His heart leapt in joy when he saw that it was his friends and he could only blink in surprise, "Everyone? You're ok…"

The other five Ocean Rangers rushed to greet him while the Hawaiian gods stood watching the happy reunion.

"Boy, am I glad to see you guys!" Desmond sighed as the girls all greeted him with relieved hugs, "By the end of those trials, I honestly thought I was a goner."

"Come on man, we never doubted you for a second," Cam smiled as he threw an arm over his friend, "Besides, there's a guaranteed reason why you would have made it through anyway."

Desmond gave a curious look until David laughed while giving him a friendly slap on the back, "Yeah, you're too stupid and stubborn to die."

Despite the joke being at his own expense, Desmond couldn't help but smile and laugh along with his friends. When their little celebration had died down, Desmond stepped forward and addressed his patron goddess.

"Pele, you said that the greater powers of _Ka'ena_ are ours for the taking. I'm ready to accept your blessing."

The goddess of the volcanoes nodded and waved her hand to create a small swirling ball of fire and light. As the fires died down, an orb of light took the form of a small decorative golden urn. The sealed vessel was adorned with multi colored jewels and engraved with the symbols of the ancient tribes. Pele held the small urn out to Desmond and the Red Ranger took it reverently.

"Desmond Waihee, you have proven that you are not only noble in your blood, but in your heart as well. You have demonstrated to me the same virtuous traits of the chieftains of old. Son of Hawaii, I charge you to remember your experiences from these trials and to remember what it truly means to be worthy. I leave the powers of the warrior _Ka'ena_ to your safekeeping and trust that you and your fellow Rangers will use them in defense of these islands."

Desmond stared in wide eyed wonder of the urn before placing his hand on the lid, "Thank you Pele… for everything. I had made a promise before that I wouldn't fail my friends, but I promise that I won't let you down either."

Pele nodded in satisfaction as the other gods gathered behind her and proudly looked on, "Then open the vessel and let your own righteous acts join with the strength of those from the past."

At that moment, Alex hesitantly cleared her throat, "Wait a second Desmond… how is this going to work? We were told that our powers were useless on this island. We couldn't morph at all."

Kanaloa smiled gently, "I apologize. That was my doing, Alexandra. I had used my sorcery to limit your powers in order to test you earlier. Now that all of you are deemed worthy, your powers should be completely restored."

Desmond looked to his friends and gave an excited grin while he held the lid of the urn. "Well… this is it everyone, I..."

He was cut off as the Rangers all saw their Ocean Bracers begin to flicker. Kanohi must have been trying to reach them all the way out here. Whatever it was, it must have been extremely serious to warrant such an effort on the old kahuna's part. Desmond gave an apprehensive look to the others before answering the call, "We're here... Kanohi? Is that you?"

As the coral bracelet flickered to life again, the garbled voice of Kanohi replied, "Rangers, thank goodness! I have been trying to reach you for hours."

"Sorry Kanohi, we've been a little tied up," Alex answered while walking up beside Desmond, "Desmond did it! We have the greater powers of _Ka'ena_ on our side."

"That is good news," Kanohi replied gravely, "Because you will need it. Oahu is under attack again. A large Benthic force under General Kuta is moving on Honolulu. I believe he means to test our defenses."

"It won't be much of a fight if we're not there," Cam interjected in concern, "How are we going to be able to get back to Oahu in time? We're two days out and we don't have Luna either."

The sea god Kanaloa stepped forward and put a calming hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder, "Never fear child. We gods will have a solution to that problem."

Kanaloa gave another smile and leaned in toward Desmond's Ocean Bracer, "Kanohi, my old friend... it's good to hear your voice again. Do not worry, your Rangers will be along shortly."

As Desmond cut communication with Kanohi, the Rangers all turned to the small group of Hawaiian gods who had assembled with them atop the temple. David cleared his throat and turned to his patron god, "Lono, what should we do? Our home is under attack and we need to leave the island... fast!"

Lono smiled and turned to his wife Laka before snapping his fingers. In an instant, the Ocean Rangers were transported to the beach where they had originally washed ashore. The sea was calm, the skies were clear, and to their utter shock, Desmond's ship Luna was waiting in the shallow waters. It looked as good as new and appeared completely unharmed from the tempest it had weathered to reach the island.

"Your trusty vessel awaits," Maui smiled as he crossed his arms. When he did, he also gave one more reassuring wink toward Hannah, "Go give em some hell, kid."

The Orange Ranger grinned and gave him a thumbs up before hurrying onto the boat with her other companions. While they boarded, Desmond stayed behind for a moment as Pele stopped him. She stepped forward and gave him gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Remember to use your new powers well Desmond. The people of Hawaii are counting on you. When you are in doubt, trust in yourself, and trust in your Ranger friends. Good luck."

Desmond nodded and turned away to hurry up and board his ship again, "Thanks Pele."

As he took his place behind the wheel of the ship, Desmond gripped the golden urn containing the new powers. As much as he wanted to test them now, there was no time. Honolulu was under attack and the Rangers had to move! Hine Nui's forces would be in for a very rude surprise once they arrived, but it looked like the Rangers were going to have to learn about their new powers on the fly as well.

Before the Ocean Rangers could unfurl their canvas and prepare to set sail, the gods of the wind and sea stood together and raised their hands to create a swirling vortex of air and water around the little ship.

"Whoah! What is going on?" Naomi cried in fright as she watched the spiraling column of spinning water envelop the area while leaving Luna sitting within the calm center of miniature hurricane.

"If the gods are trying to help us, they certainly have a strange way of doing it," Alex replied clutching a nearby railing.

"Everyone, hold on tight!" Desmond shouted as everyone braced themselves.

The spinning cyclone of water intensified around Luna but the ship remained fixed in place within the calm eye of the storm. The six friends gripped the nearest handholds or ropes as a column of bright glowing light suddenly radiated upward from the waters beneath the ship. When the light faded, the Ocean Rangers were momentarily jostled about as the cyclone of water dispelled. After a powerful resulting spray of sea water swept over the top deck, all six Ocean Rangers stood in awe of the sight before them.

They were no longer on the mysterious island of the gods, but rather they were back in the shallows of their own home island. Whatever spell Kanaloa and Paka'a had conjured, the magic windstorm had instantly teleported the Rangers and their ship back to the shores of Oahu.

After a minute, the waters around the boat settled and the bright sun peeked through the clouds warming the faces of the exhausted Rangers. From their location further up the coastline, they could see the edge of the city of Honolulu. A long black plume of smoke rose high into the air, no doubt caused by the invading Benthic forces. Despite their fatigue, the sight of the city being terrorized was enough to spur the Rangers on and give them enough energy for a second wind. If they would have to fight the next battle off of pure adrenaline, then so be it.

"Looks like Honolulu's in big trouble," David muttered as he cracked his knuckles.

"Not as much trouble as those monsters are going to be in," Desmond replied while holding golden the urn out, "What do you guys say we teach Hine Nui's flunkies a lesson they'll never forget?"

The others smiled and gave a nod before diving off the side of the boat and teleporting toward the battlefield though the ocean waters.

* * *

Meanwhile at the edge of Honolulu, General Kuta laughed as a large force of Nightmarchers and lesser mollusk warriors poured from the waters to establish a beachhead on the shores of the city. Several small buildings near the shoreline had been seized and began to burn as citizens fled the area while screaming in terror. As the mollusk general marched up the sand dunes, he was accompanied by a foul swamp hag, the sorceress Mujina. She looked in calm disinterest at the wanton destruction going around her before glancing over to Kuta.

"These humans… look how they go scurrying in fear like little insects. Pathetic, isn't it?"

The general laughed as he watched several heavily armed policemen and a SWAT team stand their ground, trying to fight back against the monsters. As they opened fire with their shotguns and automatic weapons, a few Nightmarchers fell amid the hail of bullets, but the lesser mollusk warriors kept marching on. Their thick shell armor deflected the bullets and rendered the weapons useless.

"Not as pathetic as the humans who actually think they can stand against us."

Mujina snorted in amusement and fired a magic bolt from her staff, throwing back the policemen and causing them to retreat in panic. "You know… this is almost too easy. I thought there would be some sort of challenge, even from the Rangers."

No sooner had she said that when a large wave swept over the beach and six figures emerged in a spray of dazzling water that glittered when it caught the sunlight. As the tide rolled in and the Benthic warriors stopped to turn around and face the threat behind them, they saw the six Rangers standing ready to challenge them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Mujina!" Naomi called, "We had something more important than you to deal with."

Kuta snorted in contempt, "Don't fool yourself little girl. What is more important than us?"

"The thing that's going to rid our islands of your queen once and for all," Desmond shouted back while raising his Ocean Bracer, "This is beginning of the end for you. Everyone ready?"

The other Rangers raised their Bracers in unison as they began to flare with light, "Point Break!"

The Benthic monsters recoiled for a moment as they were blinded by the bright multicolored light swirling up from the ocean waters. When the light faded, Honolulu's six defenders stood shoulder to shoulder, spoiling for a fight. Desmond quickly summoned his spear and gave it a twirl while leading their roll call:

 _"Fierce as the Raging Volcanoes, Red Ocean Ranger!"_

 _Steady as the Surging Tides, Blue Ocean Ranger!"_

 _Free as the Howling Winds, Yellow Ocean Ranger!"_

 _Vibrant as the Verdant Earth, Green Ocean Ranger!"_

 _Bright as the Shining Sunlight, Pink Ocean Ranger!"_

 _Fearless as the Coming Dawn, Orange Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Riding the waves to Victory!"_ they chorused together amid another blast of colorful water behind them.

At the sight of the six proud heroes, the Nightmarchers and mollusk warriors took a step back in fear but their commanders remained standing in place. Kuta dug the end of his halberd into the ground, "You think that's supposed to scare me? Tell me something I don't already know."

Desmond produced the golden urn Pele had given him and he raised it before the monsters, "I've got a better idea. Why don't I show you instead. Tidal Surge!"

With that, the Red Ranger pulled the lid of the vessel free and the beach detonated with a blinding white light. A forceful ribbon of sacred ancestral energy flowed out of the urn and swirled around each of the Rangers, empowering them with new strength.

The monsters could only stand frozen in awe as the six Oceans Rangers emerged from the light with a new form. Though the Rangers retained the base colors of their suits, the pattern along their legs, arms, and torso had been highlighted with white, giving them a bright immaculate appearance. As the six heroes continued to walk forward out of the surf, they radiated an aura of colorful energy which made the air around them buzz with power.

Mujina gaped in shock at the overwhelming might of the Creation magic before her and she gripped her staff in fury, "How... how is this possible?"

"You aren't the only ones getting help from a Polynesian deity," Desmond said leveling his weapon, "We have the power of the whole island and the heroes who came before to back us up now."

"We'll se about that," Mujina sneered as she gathered a great amount of her power and summoned a fearsome demon from ancient Maori lore called a Tipua. The large earth elemental monster rose from the sands and composed its body out of dark rocks. At the top of its menacing head were two glowing eyes that burned with the hag's baleful magic.

The Ocean Rangers continued to advance and broke into a charge as Desmond gave a furious shout, "Let's go everyone!"

The startled Nightmarchers and Benthic mollusks scrambled to compose themselves in order to meet the Rangers' charge but they had been caught completely flat-footed. The Ocean Rangers plowed into them with the force of a tidal wave and began sweeping the foot soldiers away with their weapons. Although they were powerful before, the energy boost that Desmond had given the Rangers supercharged their every movement. Their speed, strength, and reflexes were twice as great as they had been before and their blazing auras of elemental fury seared any of the undead monsters that dared to get close enough.

After shredding a hole through the Benthic horde, the Rangers continued their surge forward where Kuta, Mujina, and the Tipua waited. The earth elemental roared a challenge as Kuta brandished his polearm toward the six super-powered Rangers and rallied his own squad of bodyguards, "We won't let the Rangers take our beachhead! Drive them back into the sea! Destroy them all!"

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **And before anyone asks... yes, the team power-up is inspired by Jungle Fury's master mode... and no, I didn't forget. The Red Battlizer will be featured in the next chapter's battle against the generals.**


	58. Hai'i'ole: Unbreakable

**Episode 29: Part 2  
**

Kuta's elite mollusk bodyguards formed up and quickly moved to try and push the Rangers back. As they neared, they gasped in surprise as Desmond tucked in his stance and propelled himself into the air with a sudden burst of magical red water energy. Each of the Rangers followed suit as jets of colored water energy fired from new extensions in their boots and gloves.

Being able to manipulate their trajectory in the air, the Ocean Rangers used their new colored water jets to outmaneuver their enemies and land on top of them with a devastating leaping attack. General Kuta and Mujina continued to stare in horrified amazement as the Rangers engaged the elite armored mollusks and took them apart with ease.

David blocked a blow and turned his opponent aside while firing the water jets in his boots to propel him into a sideways cartwheel. The maneuver was enough to throw off his enemy and open up an avenue to attack. With a powerful club strike, David hit the warrior in its soft weak spot and caused the monster to collapse with a cracked shell.

Nearby, Alex twirled and danced through the attacks of the foot soldiers while using her jets as offensive weapons. Each time they neared, she fired the water jets to throw them back before she blasted all of them back in a twirling pirouette of pink energy. While she dealt with the mollusks, Hannah fought off the rest of the Nightmarcher zombies using her hook whip.

The Orange Ranger tumbled under their attacks and used her weapon to lash out and cut down her foes. Before the Nightmarchers could move to defend themselves, Hannah fired her water jets and swept around the undead while hooking them with the whip. Giving another burst of orange watery energy, she used the momentum to swing the enemies around and throw them into the mollusks that Cam and Naomi were preparing to take on.

"Strike!" Hannah called with a victorious laugh while pumping her fist.

Cam blinked in shock for a moment before turning to the younger girl across the battlefield, "Hey! Watch it! You almost took me out too!"

Moments later, Naomi rushed past him to head off the green swamp hag, "Stand clear Cam, Mujina is mine!"

The Blue Ranger drew his blade and shook his head while turning toward General Kuta, "All right then squid face, I guess it's just you and me."

As the last of the foot soldiers broke ranks and fled in retreat, the Rangers readjusted their matchups and moved to take on the Benthic commanders. Naomi was the first to reach Mujina and unload a flurry of furious strikes with her serrated hand clubs. The green hag warded them off with her staff and pushed Naomi back into a neutral stance.

"Is that all you've got to show since last we met?" the sorceress sneered in contempt.

Naomi smirked and took a ready stance as Alex and Hannah joined her, "You haven't seen anything yet, you witch."

Alex put a hand on the Yellow Ranger's shoulder and gave a thumbs up, "We've got your back Naomi. Just give the word."

Naomi twirled her clubs and gestured forward, "All right girls, let's go!"

The Pink and Orange Rangers surged forward in a combined attack. Hannah dodged several bolts from Mujina and lashed out her whip to hook the end of the sorceress's staff. The momentary distraction allowed Alex to make a leaping kick and break the hag's guard. With a follow up punch charged with pink light, Alex struck Mujina using her knuckle weapons to blind her.

The hag staggered back several steps recoiling from the light and looked up just in time to see Naomi surge forward using her yellow water energy jets. In one swift motion, the Yellow Ranger called the feathered cloak that the wind god Paka'a had given her. As Naomi collided with the sorceress and grappled her, she used the cloak and momentum to take off into the air.

Mujina gave a cry of surprise as she was suddenly pulled skyward and felt her feet leave the ground.

"What's wrong Mujina? Scared of heights?" Naomi taunted as she soared high and pulled into a sudden backward dive.

"Unhand me this instant!" the monster shrieked in rage.

Naomi smiled again and let get go mid-dive, "If you insist."

The Yellow Ranger swooped back to the ground safely to rejoin the other two girls as Mujina plummeted face-first into the earth, landing with a sickening crunch.

Meanwhile, Cam engaged General Kuta in a close quarters duel as David moved to help. Kuta lashed out with his halberd which the Blue Ranger parried aside, allowing David a chance to swing his club. Kuta blocked it with his heavy armor and shoved the doctor aside, but in doing so, it let Cam slip in under his guard. Cam grabbed the mollusk's arm and fired his blue water jets to twist Kuta's arm in an aerial tumble maneuver. Kuta cried out in pain and dropped his weapon as Cam used his momentum to dislocate Kuta's arm and throw the villain back with a punishing slash to the side.

"You'll pay for that boy," Kuta snarled as he opened his maw and fired an inky stream of smoke and debilitating magic.

Before it could strike, the Blue Ranger summoned the scallop shield Kanaloa had given him and used its magic reflective properties to ward off the dark inky attack. An iridescent bluish light glowed from the shield as Kuta's attack harmlessly deflected away into the sands, protecting the Blue Ranger. After safely deflecting the attack, Cam lowered his shield and stepped aside letting David channel the energy of his Ocean Bracer to throw Kuta back with a violent wave of earth and sand. Both friends grinned and exchanged a fist bump before turning to see Desmond charge in alone against the Tipua demon.

The giant dark earth elemental monster gave another great roar and reared up as Desmond charged forward leveling his blazing spear like a lance. As Desmond closed the distance, the Tipua lashed out with its large jagged arms to bat the Ranger away but Desmond fired his water jets and outmaneuvered the monster. The Ranger gave a triumphant laugh as he leapt high and slashed the demon across the face with his spearhead.

Unfortunately, the damage was minimal as the creature's stony skin protected it from the brunt of the attack. As Desmond landed, he gasped in surprise before leaping away as the Tipua made another swipe and smashed the ground around him. Even in his powered form, Desmond struggled to ward off the monster and bought himself some time when he used his spear to spray the demon with a powerful flamethrower attack.

"Damn, I think I bit off a little more than I could chew," he muttered as he fired his water jets to evade another attack. When he landed, he turned to see his five fellow Rangers regroup nearby to witness the battle with the Tipua.

"Come on guys! We've gotta help Desmond!" Alex called as she prepared to charge in and assist.

David held her back a moment, "Wait... I have a better idea! Remember how Pele said that _Ka'ena_ shared his power with his fellow Rangers? What if we all loaned Desmond our powers back for a bit... to supercharge him?"

"Seems legit to me," Cam called while raising his Ocean Bracer and prompting the others to follow suit, "Desmond! Heads up!"

The Red Ranger stood staring in surprise as he watched his fellow Rangers channel their powers together and focus them upon him. As the bright prismatic spray of colors washed over the beach, the Tipua demon screeched and recoiled from the power in fright. From where he stood, Desmond experienced a sudden jolt and felt his body seem to light up on fire with an intense buzzing power. Amid the swirling light, the other Rangers were adding their strength and righteous spiritual power to his.

When the light finally faded, the Red Ocean Ranger stepped forward equipped in majestic new armor. At the top of his helmet was a crest resembling the same kind found on the helmets of the ancient Hawaiian warrior chieftains. Fixed around his collar was a steel necklace of tribal charms connected together into an armored neck brace. Rounding out the theme of light armor, Desmond sported red shoulder pauldrons and a short hip guard with a vague Asian/samurai flavor to it.

"All right! Take em down!" Hannah cheered from the sidelines as Desmond twirled his spear and confidently leveled it at the Tipua.

The monstrous elemental roared and charged forward but the Red Ranger stood his ground courageously and focused on his weapon, bracing for the charge. A blazing volcanic aura began to swirl around Desmond and sear the grounds around him. As it rapidly grew in intensity, the other Rangers stepped back from the oppressive heat watching in awe as the giant earth demon came crashing down on Desmond like an avalanche.

No sooner had the earth demon enveloped him, a bright lance of red energy burst from the creatures back and a brilliant plume of volcanic fire and light erupted in a fountain. The Rangers watched in awe as the Tipua gave a shocked yelp and burst apart in a storm of volcanic energy. Large chunks of the monster's stone body scattered on the beach and melted away from the intense heat as Desmond emerged from the tempest unharmed.

As he calmly walked toward his fellow Rangers, they could see the familiar red glow of a second bracelet secured around his other wrist. The Tears of Pele had come to life again and its powerful magic had protected Desmond, making him invulnerable to the intense volcanic heat of the attack he had just made at point-blank range.

As the cloud of earth and dark magic began to subside, the Ocean Rangers spotted Hine Nui's two generals making their escape in the waters. General Kuta held his limp arm and dragged himself deeper while the mangled form of the swamp hag Mujina staggered close behind.

"This isn't over Rangers," the injured mollusk snarled as he began to sink beneath the waves, "We'll be back, and when we do, we plan to finish this fight once and for all."

"Come on! They're getting away!" Hannah cried as she gripped her weapon excitedly. She stopped as she felt the Red Ranger put his hand on her shoulder to restrain her.

"No. Let them go," Desmond said quietly in an unusual moment of maturity, "Our first duty is to make sure all the citizens around the beaches are safe. We'll have another chance at Hine Nui's commanders another day."

As the two remaining monsters made their escape Cam turned to look at the destruction brought on by the Benthic assault before turning to Desmond, "All right chief... now we help the people. What are your orders?"

* * *

After spending the rest of the day helping to put out fires and aid injured civilians, the six friends made their way toward their safe haven in Waikiki. Later that night, the exhausted Ocean Rangers gathered at the Silver Marlin restaurant after its business hours to celebrate their recent successes. If they really sat down and thought about it, they had already been on a bit of an epic quest. They had braved a terrible storm on the ocean, they had navigated dangers of a mysterious island, all while meeting gods and surviving life threatening trials. For now, the important thing was that Honolulu was safe and the ancient powers of Hawaii's warrior chiefs were in safe hands again.

As much as the Rangers wanted to celebrate the victory with a proper party, they were content to simply sit and enjoy a hot meal in the safety of a familiar place.

"Oh man… Bailey, you really outdid yourself this time," Alex sighed with a small burp, "That dinner was delicious."

David leaned back in his seat and agreed with a tired smile, "After that little adventure, I've never been happier to be back in civilization and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Thanks Bailey!"

The Rangers' friend Bailey Hampshire smiled as she began to clear the table, "You're welcome. I'm just glad all of you came back safely. To be honest, I was really worried when Desmond told me what you guys were up to."

Hannah took a big gulp of water to wash down her food and nodded, "Well… I can't blame you. The rest of us were pretty uneasy when we started this little quest too. By the way… where is Desmond anyway?"

Everyone glanced around the empty restaurant before turning their eyes toward the outdoor patio overlooking the ocean. To their surprise, the six friends saw the Red Ranger standing by himself, looking out over the nighttime waters while seemingly lost in thought.

Bailey put down the dishes and wiped her hands, "Uh, you guys don't think this situation's going to need a girlfriend's touch… do you?"

Cam rose from his seat and put a hand on Bailey's shoulder with a gentle smile, "Nah, I think this one is more in need of a Ranger's touch."

"Rangers… plural," Naomi added, pulling her boyfriend along by the wrist and heading out toward the patio. A warm gentle breeze greeted the Blue and Yellow Rangers as they stepped out into the night air and walked along the dark wooden patio floor.

"Hey Desmond, is everything ok?" Naomi asked as the two approached the edge of the deck and joined their friend. Desmond turned and glanced over his shoulder to give his two housemates a faint smile.

"Oh… sorry guys, I was just thinking about everything that happened recently… about our new powers and what Pele had said at the temple."

"Well, it is some pretty extraordinary stuff," Naomi admitted casting a glance to the twinkling stars above. "I can't imagine what you personally went through to pass the tests too."

Desmond frowned to himself for a moment and continued to look out over the waters, "You know, I learned a lot about myself during those tests. Maybe Pele and the other gods are right about me… that I come from some exceptional bloodline of ancient chiefs. They might think that I'm worthy to guard that power, but those tests taught me something else."

His friends gave a curious look as he continued, "I learned that I still have a long way to go. I don't usually like to be so serious all the time, but this has made me realize just how much responsibility I have. If I'm to be as great as those old war chiefs of Hawaii, or even _Ka'ena_ , then I have a lot to learn."

"Training to become more serious and responsible is great, but no one is expecting you to be like the chiefs of the past," Cam said as he put a firm hand on Desmond's shoulder, "You aren't the warrior _Ka'ena_ either. You're Desmond Waihee and you make our team better because of it."

"He's right," Naomi added, "It wasn't just _Ka'ena_ who put down Hine Nui the first time, it was all the Ocean Rangers. We're a team so it's our job to make up for each other's weakness and shortcomings, remember?"

Desmond gave a faint chuckle and nodded, "Yeah... you guys are right... and thanks."

A companionable silence fell over the patio deck as the three friends stood together watching the evening tide roll in. After a long pause, Cam spoke, "We got lucky, you know. Hine Nui's attack today was a significant one... bigger than the ones in the past. It makes me wonder if she might be preparing for a full scale assault, especially because she knows that we've become stronger."

Desmond nodded, "Maybe, but we'll be ready for her. I think it's high time we find out which rock she's hiding under and take the fight to her instead. Maybe Kanohi can help us do that?"

"Maybe," Naomi replied, "But I think everyone is tired of fighting right now. Can we just savor the victory, and enjoy the peace and quiet... at least for tonight?"

Desmond simply nodded his head with a quiet smile and the three did exactly that for the rest of the evening... enjoying the peaceful sound of the waves and the warm feelings of companionship from good friends all around.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **And that's the conclusion of the Chieftain Arc. I know it was a little different, but I had fun writing it and I hope you guys still enjoyed it. Special thanks also goes to my buddy Kuro no Okami for his help in designing the Red Battlizer too. I appreciate all the support bro, so thank you!**


	59. Ho'ohuli Na'au: Close to Heart

**Episode 30: Part 1  
**

"Come on slowpoke! You're falling behind!" Alexandra Coach grinned as she began swimming for shore again. A short distance away, David Hosokawa panted and took another deep breath as he tried his best to keep up with her. The two Rangers had spent the morning out snorkeling and doing work on a project for Alex's marine biology class. Armed with small underwater cameras and notepads, the two friends had been busy observing several underwater animals and documenting their behavior.

Unfortunately, Alex's little suggestion for a friendly race back to shore was something David had been dreading. While he was able to swim, he was nowhere near as strong or comfortable in the water as his other friends were. As he struggled and pushed himself, he realized there was probably a good reason his Green elemental affinity was for the earth: he was always more comfortable hiking and being around plants anyway.

He knew he wasn't a great swimmer, but right now it didn't seem to matter. Not if Alex needed his help. He wanted to help her. After all, she was his friend and he liked spending time around her… at least started to realize that a little more after their incident on the Isle of the Gods a month ago.

It was strange… at least today, he couldn't help but think about how cute her hair looked when it was wet, or how nice she looked in her pink bikini today while they were swimming. David sputtered a moment in the water, chastising himself for letting such a random thought sneak up on him like that. That came out of left field. He was being completely ridiculous, right? It was probably best to just focus on his breathing and swimming motions right now.

After reaching the shore, Alex and David made their way up the sand dunes to some refreshment stands that were set up by the public beach's boardwalk. Even though he was still out of breath, David volunteered to carry the supplies they had brought out. While they walked, the Pink Ranger cast a slight look of concern to her friend, "Are you sure you're okay there Dave? You don't have to carry all that, you know."

"I know…" he panted, "But I want to."

Alex smiled brightly, "You're so sweet Dave, what would I ever do without you?"

David inwardly smiled to himself before shaking off that nagging thought again from earlier. She didn't seem to notice as she gave him a playful poke in the shoulder.

"Now that we're out of the water, are you still going to be able to keep up with me now, old man?" she teased with a laugh.

David wrinkled his nose in a slight frown, "Geez Alex, for the last time... I'm not that much older than you."

It was true that while David was the eldest Ranger among their group, it was only about three or four years more than Cam and Alex who were the next oldest. He was always a little sensitive about that detail, but it was still a source of amusement for the others to poke fun at from time to time.

"You sound kinda cranky today gramps. I think you might need a nap," Alex playfully laughed again as David sighed and patiently rolled his eyes.

After they sat down under a shaded bench, David went to go buy some drinks but when he returned, he found another young man approaching the bench and greeting Alex. The Pink Ranger jumped to her feet and gave him a hug causing David to frown as he neared.

"Hey girl, I thought I recognized you! It's good to see you again," the man smiled brightly, "You look great!"

"Oh stop," Alex laughed before turning to the Green Ranger, "Oh! Dave… you're just in time. I want you to meet someone."

David handed Alex her drink and forced a polite smile toward the newcomer, "Hello."

Alex made an introductory gesture, "Dave, I'd like you to meet Ryan Cavalieri. He's a friend of my older brother Isaac."

David kept a neutral expression and shook his hand, "Dave Hosokawa. Nice to meet you. You're a Navy guy like Isaac too?"

Ryan shook his head with a laugh and rolled up his sleeve to reveal USMC tattoo on his bicep, "Nah, I'm a just reservist in the Marine Corps. Besides, I'm way too buff to be mistaken for a squid."

Alex laughed again, at the mildly derogatory slang term used by other servicemen to describe Navy sailors, "Careful. If my brother or my friend Cam were here, I think they'd probably keelhaul you."

"Oh, I'd never dream of making fun when the officers are on deck," he winked, "But they're not here, are they?"

David grimaced as the two shared another laugh before Ryan looked curiously toward him, "So, are you a military guy too?"

"I did a short stint in the JDF," David answered, "I'm actually a medical doctor now."

Ryan gave an impressed whistle and turned to Alex, "Whoah, not bad Alex. You didn't tell me that your boyfriend here was a doctor."

"Oh no… you've got it all wrong," Alex said quickly, "Dave and I are just friends. He was just helping me out with a little project for one more my classes."

Ryan gave a thoughtful look and scratched his chin, "Very cool, because you wouldn't happen to be done for the day, would you? I was wondering if you'd wanna go for a short spin around the marina parkways and catch up. There should be plenty of room on my sport bike."

"Sure! That sounds awesome!" Alex grinned before turning to David, "Um… Dave, I hate to ask you, but would you mind taking all our research stuff home with you in your car? I promise I'll come by to pick it up later."

David blinked in surprise and gave a slightly dismayed sigh, "Yeah… I guess so."

"Thanks Dave! You're the best!" Alex smiled before giving him a quick hug and then following Ryan off toward his motorcycle in the parking lot.

The Green Ranger frowned to himself and looked at the research supplies. He couldn't quite understand why he was feeling so bothered right now and he didn't feel like going home quite yet either. As he headed toward his own green car in the parking lot, he decided he'd make a quick stop on the way home. There were a couple people he had to speak to and he hoped that they'd be able to help him.

* * *

The sounds of the dark waves pounded against the shores of the Phantom Isle as the ancient sea witch Hine Nui gazed out toward the island of Oahu. She stood in silence and didn't seem to pay much mind as her loyal mollusk warrior Kuta made his way up the dunes to join her.

The Benthic commander gave an unhappy frown as he stretched and tested his arm while he walked. It had been a month since he had been injured in the last battle with the super powered Ocean Rangers and he had just regained full function of his dislocated shoulder.

"My Queen, it's been an entire month since our last attack. Why are we sitting idle?"

"Patience General," Hine Nui said calmly, "Are you in such a rush to be defeated so soundly again?"

The mollusk scowled and a low rumble sounded from his throat, "All the more reason we should follow up our attack..."

"No," Hine Nui corrected him, "Now is the time for us to marshal our forces for one great strike. There is a positive that came from your defeat. The Ocean Rangers have shown their hands and now we will be better able to prepare for it."

Kuta gave a sour wrinkle of his features, "You don't really intend to let the Rangers gloat about their victory in the mean time... do you?"

Hine Nui smiled devilishly, "Of course not my dear general. We will bide our time and gather strength. Until then, I will summon a creature to keep them occupied."

The sea witch raised her arms and chanted in an ugly guttural sounding language until the dark waters churned and a monstrous form emerged from beneath the waves. Kuta looked on in curiosity as the large aqueous being with a glowing central stalk floated above the waves and waved some of its barbed tentacles. He regarded the jellyfish abomination with a look of disgust, "It's hideous."

"It's beautiful," Hine Nui purred as she reached out and stroked the edge of one tentacle. "Go now my pet. Go and spawn more jellyfish near the coast. As long as we keep the humans out of the water, we will have an easier time invading when the time comes."

The monstrous jellyfish bobbed its stinging tentacles once more and disappeared below the waters, floating off toward Oahu like some kind of sinister submarine.

* * *

Later that day, Cam sat in the living room of the beach house busily working on a new report for his superior officers back in Pearl Harbor. As he sat typing on his laptop, he heard the front door open and close before a soft hand touched his shoulder.

He glanced up from his work for a moment and saw that it was Naomi, just returning home from another day of lifeguarding. He gave a quick smile to greet her as she tossed her yellow windbreaker on the couch and brushed aside some of her wet dark brown hair.

"Hey, you're back kinda early today. How'd everything go?"

"Surprisingly easy," she replied, "They closed the beach I was patrolling. Seems like there's a lot of jellyfish spawning right now. It's kinda unusual for this time of the year, but I won't complain."

Cam shrugged and leaned back in his seat, "Cool, I guess we can both just chill and hang out here for a bit while I finish my report."

Naomi grinned playfully and closed his laptop, "Yeah, about that. I was thinking since I had the rest of the afternoon off, maybe we should go do something fun instead?"

"Oh?" he chuckled in amusement as she plopped down in his lap and slung her arms around his neck, "What did you have in mind?"

"Well... I was thinking we could go for a nice long walk," she said giving him a few playful pecks on the lips, "Maybe get some ice cream... but first, we could take advantage of the fact that Desmond's not going to be back till later this evening."

"You're evil," Cam smirked as she kissed him again a little more deeply, "I like the way you think."

At that moment, the doorbell rang and both Rangers broke their kiss to look up. Cam sighed in disappointment and let go of her as Naomi got up and poked his nose gently, "Hold that thought?"

She walked across the room and answered the door, finding David waiting on the front porch. The Green Ranger wore a sheepish look as Naomi blinked in surprise, "Dave? Hi... this is a little unexpected."

"Yeah... I'm really sorry I just popped in unannounced," David said as he looked in the room and saw Cam too, "Um... I actually came by because I was hoping you and Cam could help me out with something?"

"Sure, of course. Come on in," the Yellow Ranger nodded opening the door wider and inviting him inside.

Cam rose from his chair and gestured his friend toward the couch, "Everything okay Doc? How can we help?"

David plopped down on the couch and grimaced to himself in embarrassment, trying to find the right words. "Oh... well, it's kinda personal, a little embarrassing... I uh... seem to have a little relationship problem... it kinda involves a girl."

"Anyone we know?" Naomi asked with a sly grin as she crossed her arms, "This doesn't have anything to do with Alex does it?"

David felt his face get warmer and he chewed his lip, "Kinda... sorta... yeah."

Once he had taken a calming breath, David went on and explained the situation involving Alex and Ryan that morning. The Blue and Yellow Rangers sat across from him and patiently listened until he finished his story.

"Oh geez. I thought Alex was smarter than that. I hope she's not actually considering dating one of those dimwitted jarheads," Cam said with a dismayed groan, using the derogatory slang term for US Marines.

"I know, right?" David nodded with a troubled sigh, "The problem is, he seemed really friendly, and a lot more exciting than me. What do you guys think I should do?"

"I think you should be honest with yourself first," Naomi said with a thoughtful smile, "Do you really have feelings for Alex and are you going to be ready to act on them?"

"Well... yeah, I think," David said, "Otherwise I wouldn't be feeling so upset about this, right?"

The Blue Ranger folded his arms with a pensive frown, "Hold on you two, do you guys think this is really a good idea? I mean... we're still fighting Hine Nui here. Shouldn't we be a little more focused on that instead of more inter-team hookups?"

"Come on Cam, don't be a stick in the mud. Where's your sense of romance?" Naomi pleaded, "This isn't the military and we aren't bound by all those fraternization rules."

"But that chain of command keeps people focused on the mission and keeps you from getting killed by stupid things... like being in love," he protested.

"The others seem ok with us having a relationship," Naomi countered, "And besides, Dave is your friend. Don't you want to help him be happy?"

"Of course I do!" Cam sighed, "I'm just not sure this is the best time for all the drama, that's all."

Naomi shrugged and turned back to the Green Ranger, "David, I think it's very romantic. I think you should go out there and be a man! Go fight for Alex and prove you're the better catch."

"Or... you could just save yourself that trouble and just speak up," Cam sighed with a roll of his eyes, "Just get the truth out there and tell Alex how you feel. At least that's what I did with Naomi."

"To be fair... it took you a long time to do that," David pointed out.

"Come on Dave, can you really blame me for being kinda nervous?" Cam protested, "Naomi here is smoking hot! Of course I was really scared."

David sighed slightly and conceded the point while Naomi laughed and gently patted Cam's cheek, "Whatever you decide to do Dave, just be sincere and don't let too much time go by."

"Right then..." the doctor sighed as he sat up in his chair, "I've got some work to do. Thanks you guys."

"Uh... sure, don't mention it," Naomi replied while exchanging a puzzled look with Cam as Dave quickly made his way out of the house and hurried back home.

* * *

Later the next morning, Hannah Johnson dangled her feet off the edge of the small charter boat as she waited for the next group of tourists to finish putting on their dive gear. So far, it had been another routine day at work for her as the first group of divers had already submerged into the nearby coral reefs. Hannah softly hummed a tune to herself as she idly looked out over the deep waters until a strange reflection caught her eye.

For a moment, it looked like the sun had reflected off something strange in the water and given off an odd light. She continued to sit and focus her eyes out in the water until she spotted something else odd. Near the top of the water looked to be several floating objects. It was hard to tell at first, but to a casual observer it almost looked like a lot of litter floating around... like several clear plastic bags just drifting in the ocean. But that couldn't be right... not out this deep anyway.

Hannah stood up and took a look around the boat to keep a careful eye on the amateur divers who were still suiting up. That's when she heard a cry for help arise from the waters nearby the entrance to the reef. The Orange Ranger hurried over and saw two divers thrashing in the water, crying out in pain and alarm.

"Help! They're stinging us!" one of the tourists called as he tore off his mask. All around him were the large floating plastic bags. As the boat drifted closer to the reef, Hannah's eyes went wide in alarm as she realized that those weren't plastic bags in the water. Those were large jellyfish-like creatures called portuguese men-o-war... except there was something very off about their color and their appearance.

Hannah's pulse quickened as she realized both a tourist and a fellow diver were in trouble. Turning back to the others on the boat, she called out, "Everyone stand back and don't follow me into the water! Someone grab the first aid kit and get ready to use it!"

Without wasting another breath, the courageous teen covered up as much skin as she could with her dive gear before leaping into the water to aid the people in trouble. After all, she was a Power Ranger and she'd be damned if she let anyone drown while under her watch.


	60. Ke'aloha: Love Is All Around

**Episode 30: Part 2  
**

The sound of clattering plates and the lunchtime rush sounded from the main room of the Silver Marlin as Bailey Hampshire walked outside into the sunny outdoor patio. The petite but feisty young owner of the restaurant carried a small tray of food to a corner table where Desmond, Cam, and Naomi were all sitting under an umbrella and chatting. The moment she approached, Desmond immediately turned his head toward the source of the delicious smell, "Oh wow… this looks like great stuff Bailey!"

He gave his girlfriend a little kiss on the cheek as she served the three Rangers and took a moment to wipe her hands on her apron, "Thanks! I'm planning to test some new recipes next weekend so hopefully you guys would be able to help?"

"You can bet on it!" Naomi smiled while shoveling some food into her mouth. "I'll be there hell or high water."

"Speaking of hell and high water," Cam grinned as he turned to see Hannah tiredly trudge up from the sandy beaches and approach the restaurant patio. Everyone turned to watch the haggard looking girl hop up over the small fence and drag herself over to their table.

"Hey Hannah… tough day at work?" Desmond asked curiously, "What happened to you?"

"A school of mutant jellyfish happened to me," the Orange Ranger sighed as she sat down and began to peel off the upper half of her wetsuit. Some of the tourists we were taking out on a dive ran into them and got stung pretty badly… those things looked like Portuguese men o war... on steroids."

"Ouch," Naomi said sympathetically, "Those critters can be really dangerous."

Hannah grimaced and passed the sleeve of her wetsuit to Cam, "That's not the troubling part. Look what they did to my suit."

The Blue Ranger took the sleeve and observed it, "It almost looks like your suit's been burned in some spots."

Hannah nodded, "Wetsuits are designed to protect you from jellyfish stings. Whatever those things were, they couldn't have been packing normal venom."

Desmond leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, "You know... come to think of it, Naomi was just telling me that some of the beaches closed recently because of all the jellyfish spawning."

"You don't suppose that's a coincidence, do you?" Bailey asked in concern, "I mean... this isn't something the Ocean Rangers have to look into, is it?"

"As far as the sea witch is concerned, we probably should," Cam replied matter of factly, "Hopefully it's nothing, but we'll just play it safe and make sure. Hannah, you with us?"

She took one last look at her damaged wetsuit and gave a discouraged sigh, "Sure, might as well."

"Great... then it's settled. We'll go investigate the closed beaches later," Desmond said as he began to chow down on the food in front of him. "Right after we eat our lunch, of course."

* * *

Later that day, the other four Ocean Rangers headed out to one of the closed beaches and began to comb it for clues. As they neared the waters, they could see piles of the off-colored jellyfish washing up on the sands and rolling in the shallow surf.

"Bleh, these things look pretty freaky," Desmond muttered in disgust as he poked one with a piece of driftwood. "Almost kinda looks like a miniature invasion of the beach too."

"Well... invasion or not, I don't think I can get the Navy to help us out on this one," Cam sighed as he curiously studied another one of the beached jellyfish.

Naomi frowned to herself as she glanced down the coast and eyed the jellyfish, "You know… Hannah is right. These things don't look like any that I've ever seen before."

Desmond rolled his eyes and continued poking at the jellyfish in the sands, "Come on you guys, it's not that unusual for these suckers to wash up in bunches sometimes and it's not like they're gonna hurt anyone either."

The moment he said that, the jellyfish he was poking began to twitch and writhe on the ground. Desmond blinked in surprise before he recoiled from the freakish sight.

"Eww!" Hannah exclaimed in disgust as she grabbed the Red Ranger's arm and jumped behind him for protection.

At the same time, the jellyfish around Cam and Naomi began to twitch and wriggle in the sands causing the two to backpedal toward their friends.

"Damn it Desmond, what did you do?" Cam growled, moreso in fear than in anger.

"I don't know!" Desmond replied defensively. "They aren't supposed to be able to do that, right?"

Hannah took several calming breaths, "According to my marine biology courses… no. Something crazy is going on here. Their nervous systems shouldn't be that advanced."

"So… dark sorcery then?" Naomi muttered as the four watched the jellyfish begin to coalesce into larger monstrous blobs.

"I think that would be a pretty safe assumption," Desmond nodded grimly as he raised his Ocean Bracer, "You guys ready to clean up the beach?"

"Not really," Hannah muttered as she reluctantly prepared to morph, "Ugh… gross!"

* * *

On the other side of the city, Alexandra Coach laid out a large blanket on the sands of Ala Moana Beach Park and placed a small cooler beside it. She had just spent the morning surfing with her friend Ryan Cavallieri and the two sat down to take a break over the picnic lunch she had packed. While the two chatted and laughed, David pulled up to the beach park's parking lot and got out of his car. He slung a small backpack behind him and strolled out towards the sands when he spotted them.

He had been a little distressed to hear from Hannah that Alex had made plans to meet with Ryan again, and the sight in front of him didn't make him feel any better. He had never really been much good when it came to dating and relationships, but in this case, Cam and Naomi were both right in a way. He had to step up and do something, else he'd probably start going crazy with jealousy.

As David neared the picnic blanket, he saw both Alex and Ryan look up in surprise, before giving a tentative wave. The Pink Ranger tilted her sunglasses up and raised an eyebrow, "Uh… hi Dave… I totally wasn't expecting to see you today."

The doctor swallowed his fear and went full on with confidence, "Oh you know… I was just passing through and decided to stop at the beach today. Ryan, nice to see you again too."

"Err… likewise," the Marine replied in mild confusion of David's sudden show of extroversion.

David glanced at the picnic spread and grinned, "Oh hey… you guys wouldn't mind if I joined in for lunch, would you?"

"No, not at all. Make yourself comfy," Ryan shrugged as he took a bite from his sandwich.

As David sat and opened up his backpack, Alex grabbed his arm and hissed quietly, "Dave… what do you think you're doing?"

"Sharing my lunch," the Green Ranger answered while producing a container full of beautifully prepared sushi and handing it to her, "You really like the sushi that I make for our friends sometimes, right?"

"Well… yes," Alex admitted as she took a few pieces.

David nodded and reached into his cold keeper again, "Don't worry Ryan, I've got something to share too. How would you like a nice cold can of beer?"

"Actually, that sounds great. Thanks man."

David opened the can and just as he handed it off, he intentionally fumbled the can so it partially spilled on the swimming trunks of the Marine.

"Oh… geez. I'm so sorry about that," David said, "Clumsy me."

Ryan sighed and stood up as he headed for the water, "No worries, I'll just jump back in the water to wash it off."

As he left, Alex turned to David and glared again, "David Hosokawa, what is wrong with you? You did that on purpose!"

He returned her glare with a smug smile, "Sorry. I'm old. My hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be."

This only seemed to aggravate Alex even more, "Dave, stop it. You're acting like a total moron now. Can't you see I'm trying to talk to Ryan right now? He's helping me with something important."

"Yeah… I can see," David muttered in mild sarcasm.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" the Pink Ranger huffed in irritation.

Before she could speak again, the two Rangers heard some panic cries come from the nearby surf. As they turned, they caught sight of several other beach goers scrambling away from the water as wriggling tentacled creatures began to scurry out after them. Moments later, they saw Ryan backpedaling away from the water in horrified shock before a mammoth jellyfish erupted from the waters thrashing its stinging tentacles about.

"What the…" David started to say but Alex already leapt to her feet and grabbed her surfboard, "Hang on Ryan!"

David growled to himself and followed behind where he saw the Marine trip in the sand with the monstrous creature looming over him. Just as it was about to strike, Alex smashed her surfboard into it to bat the creature away. The monster flopped back into the water while its minions continued to crawl up the beach but Ryan regained his footing and ran for the boardwalk of the beach park.

Seeing that Ryan got clear, David turned to check on Alex and saw her stumbling backwards. She dropped her surfboard and swayed for a moment as if trying to keep her balance. It was then that David spotted an ugly red tentacle sting on her exposed leg. She must have gotten stung while trying to protect Ryan from the monster jellyfish.

He rushed over and caught her just as she fell over backwards, "Alex… hey! You okay?"

The Pink Ranger slurred her words and mumbled as she began to tremble slightly. David scooped her up and quickly carried her over the dunes toward the safety of the boardwalk where Ryan was waiting.

As the Green Ranger put Alex down, Ryan turned to him in surprise, "What's going on? What's wrong with Alex?"

"My guess? She got stung and is going into anaphylactic shock," David said tossing his car keys to the startled man, "Get to my car. There should be a first aid kit there. I need an epinephrine needle. Now!"

Ryan nodded and hurried off to the parking lot as David watched in growing fear as Alex's breathing quickly grew dangerously shallow. The venom must have been fast acting and he had to keep her breathing. The doctor wiped a bead of sweat away and tilted Alex's head back, "I'm sorry Alex. I hope you'll forgive me later."

An agonizing minute later, Ryan returned with the epi-pen and found David doing chest compressions and mouth to mouth CPR on Alex. The Green Ranger paused a moment and took the needle, injecting it into Alex to counteract the sting. After another round of CPR, Alex sputtered and slightly cracked her eyes open, "Dave?"

She was barely conscious, but right now, that was good enough.

"Thank God," the doctor sighed in relief as he brushed aside some of Alex's hair and gently kissed her forehead. He turned to Ryan and gave a firm look, "Ryan, look after Alex for me. I'll be back soon."

"Wait… where are you going?" the Marine asked.

David clenched his fists and headed out toward the beach to confront the colossal jellyfish. "I'm going to get even."

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle on the other side of the city raged between the other Ocean Rangers and the jellyfish swarms. The creatures had grown in size and surprisingly used their tentacles to scuttle on the ground and make leaping attacks with their stingers.

Desmond leveled his spear unleashing a gout of flames on the creatures while Hannah used her bladed hook to whip them from afar. Near the forefront of their formation, Cam stood guard armed with his sword and scallop shield, slicing any of the stragglers that made it through.

"I don't get it," Naomi called as she blew a bunch of creatures back into the water with a summoned gust of wind, "It's like these things are coordinating their attack. They're boxing us in here!"

"Maybe they're taking orders from a master jellyfish?" Hannah called while giving away a little more ground, "Whichever one that is."

"I guess that means we'll just have to stand our ground and try to wipe them all out," Desmond shouted.

Cam bashed aside a jellyfish and sliced a leaping one in half, "Not a great plan… but I'm afraid it's the only one we've got right now."

* * *

Back in Ala Moana, the Green Ranger stormed back down the beach until he came across Hine Nui's colossal jellyfish and its smaller horde of offspring. As he faced down the slowly advancing monsters, David's Ocean Bracer flared with green light as he raised it and morphed into the Green Ocean Ranger. Without wasting a breath, he summoned his great club and leveled it at his foes, "I've had it with you things. I'm going to squash you and make you pay for hurting Alex!"

With that, the Green Ranger charged forward with an unusual display of courage and reckless aggression. Several small monsters leapt up, but David used his club to bat them away or splatter them in midair. As he continued his charge, he twirled his club and made a spinning motion to sweep aside another swath of crawling jellyfish with a summoned wave of sand and dirt.

With one more concerted effort, he called a rolling wave of earth and rode it toward the colossal jellyfish like a surfboard, steamrolling all the smaller ones along the way. When he finally reached his enemy, he raised his guard and advanced again but the giant beast lashed out its hydra-like tentacles to counterattack.

Despite the push, David's guard was battered down and a stinging tentacle threw him backwards with a staggering blow. The Green Ranger gritted his teeth and slowly rose to his feet, shaking off the hit. Fortunately his suit had protected him from harm, but even as one Ranger, this was not going to be enough to take out the monster. That's when he decided to try a different strategy.

"Tidal Surge!" he called summoning his powered-up form in a burst of bright light. As he gripped his club, he eyed the monstrous jellyfish looming ahead of him and decided on a new avenue of attack. If he could just get close enough to the monster's soft unprotected dome, he just might have a chance. As he sprinted forward, he fired the green water jets from his boots and rocketed up into the air as the monster swiped and missed with its tentacles.

While he hung high in the air for a moment, David charged his strike and brought it down upon the soft exposed head of the giant jellyfish when he descended. The Green Ranger swung with all his might and destroyed the dome of the monster in a messy splatter causing it to convulse and collapse into a heap.

As David regained his footing, he saw the colossal jellyfish begin to burn away into Hine Nui's dark magic smoke along with many of the other little jellyfish spawn that had multiplied from it. The doctor took a deep breath and calmed his racing heart. For now, it seemed he had stopped the attack and that would give him a chance to get Alex to the hospital.

Before he cold race off to check on her, he stopped himself and used his bracelet to check in with his fellow Rangers about the incident. To his relief, he heard Desmond breathe a sigh of relief on the other end, "Nice work Dave... as long as you and Alex will be okay, I'm glad."

David nodded, "Everyone on your end is safe?"

"We're fine," Desmond replied, "But Naomi is gonna be pissed. There's a huge mess of dead jellyfish here so she and her fellow lifeguards are probably going to be scooping the little bastards up for days."

By that point, David wasn't even listening anymore. He was already sprinting halfway back to the boardwalk to help his injured friend.

* * *

A few days later, Alex lay sunbathing on the sands of Ala Moana Beach Park where her near death experience had occurred. Although the jellyfish had all been cleaned up, most citizens of Honolulu decided to keep their distance, at least for another week, before going back into the water. As she lay, looking up at the skies, she couldn't help but replay all the events over in her head and sort through her hazy memories of the encounter. She was so lost in thought, she didn't even notice the familiar blue car that drove up to the deserted parking lot nearby.

As the car parked a short distance away, Cam put an encouraging hand on David's shoulder and began pushing him out of the passenger seat, "Well… this is it. Now's your chance to talk to Alex one on one."

"Geez Cam… I don't know," David muttered nervously, "I mean, you think it's okay with the rest of you spying back here."

"We're not spying," Desmond smiled with Hannah in the backseat of the car, "We're your cheering section."

"You're sure you can't just drive around the block while I do this?"

Hannah reached from behind and put Cam in a gentle headlock, "Don't even think of touching the gearshift Monroe."

The Blue Ranger smiled and shrugged helplessly as David gave a defeated sigh and got out of the car.

As he sat watching the scene unfold from inside the small car, Cam suddenly found himself jostled about from both sides while Desmond and Hannah began to crowd around to get a better view.

"Hey, get out of the way Desmond! I can't see," Hannah whined as the Red Ranger put his elbow up to ward her off.

"Shh! Be quiet! You're going to distract them!"

Cam grumbled in annoyance and began shoving back against them so he could see, "Will you two cut it out and get off me? You're acting like little children now!"

David ignored the three squabbling Rangers in the car and continued to walk a short distance until Alex noticed his approach and stood up in surprise. "Dave… I… what are you doing here?"

He stopped in front of her and looked away sheepishly, whether it was because he was a little nervous or because she was still in that damned pink bikini, he didn't know, "I uh… wanted to check up on you, and make sure you were okay. How's your leg?"

Alex looked down and momentarily thought about covering up the red streak on her exposed thigh. It had mostly healed and now only a trace of it remained, "It's better now… thanks to you. I'm sorry I didn't get much of a chance to thank you for saving me. I've been a little out of it for the last couple days."

"It's okay," David said, "To be honest, I've been a little worried lately."

Alex smiled, "Really? Because it seems you might have been a little jealous lately too. Maybe of me spending time with Ryan?"

"Come on, don't be crazy," David laughed nervously while waving it off, "I have no reason to be jealous."

"You're right, you don't," Alex said, "Because there's nothing going on between him and I. We're just friends. Besides… if there was, I'm sure he'd be more scared of my big brother beating him up."

David frowned in confusion, "Then why…"

"I was hanging out with Ryan because I needed his advice. I wanted to know how I should maybe bring up the topic of a relationship with an older guy and not cause him to freak out."

David gulped, "Oh… uh, anyone I know?"

Alex sighed put her hands on her hips, "I swear David, are you being dense on purpose now? Because it's making me nuts. I'm talking about you!"

Alex stopped and looked away with a sheepish smile as David blinked in surprise, "I… I… feel like a total ass now… for being jealous and the way I was acting around Ryan."

"He's a good guy. I'm sure he won't be mad at you," Alex chuckled softly, "Besides, Green is your color, and I've always thought it looked kinda good on you."

David couldn't help but smile and laugh at that. After a pause, he stepped closer, "You know Alex, when we first met over a year ago, you asked me out on a date and we never finished it. Would you… maybe want to try all that over again?"

Alex beamed in return, "Yeah… I'd like that. When?"

The Green Ranger surprised her by drawing her into his arms and pulling her close to him, "How about we start right now?"

"Dave… I… what?"

"You like excitement, right?" David answered with a wink, "Just try and keep up with me, ok?"

For as sweet and mild mannered as David normally tended to act, Alex felt her body go numb for the second time in the week as he surprised her with a deep but gentle kiss. When they finally broke the kiss and exchanged another giddy smile, Alex buried her face into David's chest and hugged him again.

As he put his arms around her and continued to hold her, David turned and glanced back to the car only to see his three friends had stopped their bickering and were now watching intently.

Desmond and Cam sat giving slow silent nods of approval while wearing smug grins. Beside them, Hannah snapped a picture on her phone, "Nice! Wait till Naomi sees this."

* * *

Later that evening at the beach house, Cam settled down on the living room couch and got comfortable while his exhausted girlfriend snuggled up beside him with a big bowl of popcorn. As he put an arm around her and picked up the dvd remote control, he gave a content sigh, "You know Naomi, after that monster attack and all the other drama ... a nice quiet movie night was a good idea. What are we watching tonight?"

Naomi took a bite of popcorn and got comfortable, "Well... I wanted to see this old musical that Hannah was telling me about... South Pacific. Is that ok with you tonight?"

"Of course it is," he shrugged, "As long we just get to spend some time together, I'll watch whatever you want."

Naomi smiled as he began to lean in and give her a quick kiss when they heard a knock at the door. Naomi laughed and put a finger to Cam's lips before calling, "Come on in! It's open!"

From the doorway, Hannah walked in and spied her two friends on the couch, "Oh... hey guys, sorry... I wasn't interrupting something, was I?"

"Actually... no," Cam sighed while sitting back in his seat, "What's up Hannah?"

The teen gave a sheepish shrug, "Oh... well... I just thought I'd come by to see if either of you wanted to hang out tonight. My own plans kinda fell through. Desmond's busy helping Bailey at her restaurant and Dave and Alex are out on the town being all lovey dovey right now."

Naomi gave a kind hearted smile and made some room on the couch, "I see what you mean. Why don't you hang out with us tonight? Cam and I were just about to sit and watch South Pacific. What do you say?"

Cam gave a slight frown in protest as the Orange Ranger hurried over to the couch and squeezed in between them with an excited look, "Really? Awesome! I love this musical! But... are you two sure it's ok? I could go..."

The Blue Ranger looked at the younger girl for a long moment before his expression softened into a gentle smile. He put his arm over Hannah instead as Naomi handed her the bowl of popcorn, "Don't even think about it kid. You're gonna stay and have a good time with us. That's an order."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Hey everyone, I just wanted to give a special shout-out and thank you to OrangeDinoThunderRRA. He surprised me and put together an awesome dreamcast for PR: Oceania. I thought it was very cool of him and I thought it might be fun to get an idea of what some characters in the series could possibly look like. Enjoy.  
**

 **Desmond Waihee - BooBoo Stewart**

 **Cameron Monroe - Andrew J. Morley**

 **Naomi Sato - Kelsey Chow**

 **David Hosokawa- Kai Braden**

 **Alexandra Coach - Crystal Reed**

 **Hannah Johnson - Olivia Holt**

 **Mr. Koichiro Sato - Hiro Kanagawa**

 **Admiral James Taylor - Mark Harmon**

 **Captain Benjamin Ramos - Matthew Del Negro**


	61. Olelo Pa'a: Promise

**Episode 31: Part 1  
**

Orange rays of early evening sunlight hung over Honolulu as Hannah Johnson strolled into the lobby of Alex's apartment building and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Once she reached the Pink Ranger's door, she entered the apartment and was greeted by Alex's pet kitten Miko, who excitedly scampered up to her.

"Hey there cutey-pie! Long time no see!" Hannah cooed as she lovingly picked the kitten up and carried it with her into the living room. There she saw Alex, Naomi, and Bailey all gathered around a table with a pink cell phone set to speaker mode.

On the other end was the sound of a lot of laughter, music, and clinking glassware before a man's voice spoke again, "Don't worry sis. I promise we'll keep our noses clean. Everything is cool."

Alex's older brother Isaac Coach spoke with a reassuring voice on his phone as he glanced around the rowdy bar that he sat in. At a nearby table, Desmond and David were busy engaging in a beer chugging contest while his superior officer Cam, sat at another table taking on a challenge to arm-wrestle a Marine sergeant.

Isaac shrugged, "Trust me Alex, you have nothing to worry about and... hey Desmond! Stop dancing and get off the damn table will ya?"

The call abruptly ended and the girls all exchanged bemused expressions. Hannah couldn't help but chuckle as she entered the room, "Hey everyone. What's going on? Where are the guys?"

"Off drinking and carousing with my idiot brother," Alex sighed as she rolled her eyes, "Isaac wanted to go check out that new bar that opened up near Pearl Harbor, The Ugly Tuna."

"Huh... sounds classy," Bailey skeptically muttered.

Alex wrinkled her features, "Well, apparently it's a big hit with all the off-duty military guys. I just hope Isaac doesn't get David drunk or something."

After a pause, she turned to Naomi, "You're not worried about Cam doing anything stupid, are you?"

The Yellow Ranger shrugged and then gave a relaxed laugh, "Pfft... nah. Knowing him I'm pretty sure I don't have to worry about him getting arrested or flirting with other girls. Besides, how much trouble can our boys really get into... right?"

Hannah laughed, "Probably better not to tempt fate and ask the question. I'm guessing we'll make it a girl's night out then?"

Alex came over and threw an arm around her younger friend, "Totally. You can even consider it a warm up for your birthday next weekend. In the meantime, I was thinking we could all go out to a local concert, then finish with dessert at a trendy ice cream parlor that's open late. Sound good?"

From Hannah's arms, the kitten Miko gave an affirmative meow causing the Orange Ranger to laugh and scratch the cat behind its ears, "Well, who am I to argue with that? Let's go!"

* * *

A gentle evening breeze rippled in the air as the sea witch Hine Nui continued to stir her ancient black cauldron. The demi-goddess of Death and Darkness had moved her work outside to the shores of her Phantom Island and took a moment to study the skies above. The heavens had been mostly obscured from the layer of evil miasma which blanketed the island, but a few pinpricks of starlight still shone through. Hine Nui gave a satisfied nod at the portent and continued her work on her next ritual spell.

After a time, she slowly glanced up, sensing the presence of her servant behind her. "Mujina... you've come to make yourself useful tonight?"

The green faceless swamp hag quietly walked toward her mistress and stood at the edge of the cauldron, peering in. "I've come to see what has been absorbing all your time of late my queen. General Kuta has been restless... and so have I."

Hine Nui smiled, "Then I will tell you the same thing I told him. Be patient... I am working on something that will all but guarantee our victory in the war against the humans."

Mujina curled her lip, "Another ritual spell?"

"The largest and most powerful spell I will ever have mustered," Hine Nui nodded, "But it will take time and the help of one of my monsters."

The sea witch gestured toward the dark waters where another one of her servants was waiting. It was a large bulbous creature with large black spines jutting out from its back. As it reared up on a few of it pseudopods, it exposed a single large eyeball in its center, "I am ready to carry out the mission, my queen."

Mujina crossed her arms and gave a derisive sniff, "A giant sea urchin? What is he supposed to do?

"Echinazoa will go about planting the seeds of Oahu's destruction," Hine Nui said confidently. She gestured out toward the lights of Honolulu which glowed on the evening horizon, "Go now Echinazoa, and do not fail me. Sacrifice your own life if that's what it takes to succeed. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly my queen," the monster dutifully answered before it dipped below the waters and began its ponderous swim toward the capital of the Hawaiian Islands.

* * *

The next morning, the Ocean Rangers reconvened at a small outdoor café in downtown Honolulu to eat brunch together. Sufficed to say, the boys were all looking a lot worse for wear as they sat at the table.

"Ow... why is the sun so bright here? I hate Hawaii," Cam mumbled as he adjusted his sunglasses and continued trying to manage his hangover.

Naomi simply rolled her eyes, "Oh shush, no you don't. Karma's just getting back at you for being an idiot yesterday night. Did you really make those Marines buy all those whiskey shots... over an arm wrestling contest?"

"That was the deal and I won fair and square," Cam shrugged before he gestured to David, "Could have been worse. I could've wound up like him."

Across the table, Alex sat with her arms crossed and she wasn't looking very pleased with the shiner under the Green Ranger's left eye. "What happened to you?"

David gave an embarrassed sigh, "Well... there was this mechanical bull there and after a few beers, Isaac and I thought it would be funny to try riding it, then... you know..."

"I'm going to kill my brother," Alex mumbled while Desmond sat poking at the food on his plate next to her. He was looking a little green in the face.

"Wow... Desmond's not hungry either? This is a first," Hannah chuckled as she finished her own breakfast. "Did you party too hard too?"

"Yeah... something like that," the hungover Red Ranger mumbled as he pushed his plate aside.

The Orange Ranger shook her head in amusement before she stood up and gave an excited smile, "Okay... so now that everyone is here, I wanted to invite all of you to come celebrate my birthday next weekend. I was thinking that the six of us and some of my other friends from college could all have a pregame party at my apartment, then go clubbing afterward. What do you say?"

"Of course we'll be there," Alex nodded, "That sounds like fun to me."

No sooner had she said that when Hannah's cell phone rang. The younger girl took a glance and stepped aside, "Sorry everyone, I gotta get this one. It's my Dad."

Even though Hannah excused herself, the other Rangers couldn't help but overhear her talking nearby, "Hi Dad. I'm good... what's wrong? Wait... you're serious? Can't they find someone else to do it? I can't believe this... yeah... I understand... whatever, I'm sorry too... bye."

The others watched as the Orange Ranger returned to the table and slumped down dejectedly. Her cheery smile had now been replaced with a morose frown.

"Uh... is everything okay Hannah?" Naomi asked hesitantly.

The younger girl gave a mild grumble and sighed, "Not really... my Dad just called and told me that he and Mom probably wouldn't be able to make it out to celebrate my birthday. He's going to be busy all day."

"Busy? Doing what?' David frowned in confusion.

"He's going to be flying patrols over the island," Hannah explained, "Apparently there have been some weird sightings just off the coast of the island and the Air Force wants to step up its surveillance. That's all he'd say."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Naomi frowned as she finished her own meal.

"I'm trying not to," Cam mumbled, "Thinking hurts right now... but you're probably right. The sea witch must be up to her old tricks again."

"Well, none of us are in any shape to investigate right now," Desmond said, "We should rest up today and then get on it first thing tomorrow."

While the others continued to talk among themselves, Hannah sat quietly stewing in disappointment. She wore an expression that Alex immediately caught sight of and silently decided to talk to her about later. For now, Hannah didn't feel like socializing or laughing anymore.

Whatever was going on with the island, she was going to figure it out as soon as she could and be the first to deal with it. If she could do that before her birthday this coming weekend, then all the better. She was a Ranger now and she had great power at her disposal. At this point, she wouldn't let the Air Force or a sea witch spoil another special day in her life. She was tired of it so instead, she decided that she was going to do something about it.

* * *

Several days later, the sea urchin monster Echinazoa sat on a shallow sandbar just off the coast of Oahu, resting from his recent activities. While he lay out in the sun, he was joined by the sorceress Mujina and a couple of General Kuta's mollusk foot soldiers.

"It seems you've been busy," Mujina commented as she curiously toyed with a large thick black spike in her hand. "You were told not to engage the Ocean Rangers in combat?"

"Not unless I could avoid it," the urchin monster answered as it exposed its eye to her, "My first task is to continue planting those spikes in the seabed around the island."

"They don't look all that impressive," Mujina mused as she handed the spike back to the monster, "I'm guessing they're going to be used as more of a ritual focus object?"

"The queen did not share any other details," Echinazoa said matter of factly, "Like you, I can only guess what she intends to do with them."

Mujina grumbled and turned toward the island nearby, "Still... it seems like a rather tedious job. We'd be better serving if we were doing something more proactive, don't you think?"

The large urchin monster cast its gaze to the nearby beaches and observed curiously, "I think you may just get your wish Lady Mujina. Look!"

On the near side of the beach, the Benthic forces spied a small team of US Airmen lugging some bags and setting up equipment in the sands. While they wore the camouflage uniforms of the other human soldiers on the island, these men appeared to be unarmed. Instead of setting up a weapon, they appeared to have some sort of electronic devices with them.

Air Force Captain William Johnson adjusted his field cap and put on his sunglasses while he waited for the men under his command to finish setting up. He gave a sigh and looked on in boredom toward the clear blue skies. More than anything, he wished he was flying an aerial patrol in his F-16 fighter right now. Instead, his friend Captain Cunningham had fallen ill and asked that he supervise his weather surveillance team while they took some readings.

Of course staying on top of changing weather data was very important for any fighter pilot, but Captain Johnson wished it wasn't so... well, boring. He couldn't help but laugh at himself for a moment thinking about how he sounded like his restless teenage daughter Hannah. As he thought of her, his expression darkened slightly. He did feel awful about probably having to miss out on her upcoming birthday party. While Hannah knew her father's job was important, she couldn't help but express the frustration and disappointment in her voice when she talked to him last. He decided he'd try to figure out some way to make it up to her later in the week, but right now, he had to focus on his job.

He snapped back to attention the moment he heard one of the airmen call in a nervous voice, "Captain Johnson... sir, uh... what are those?"

Mr. Johnson turned his head in surprise as he saw a small pack of monstrous humanoids emerge from the waters and quickly encircle them. At the lead of the monsters was a terrifying green hag who seemed to have no, face save for a mouth that was curled into a cruel smile.

"Well... what have we here?" Mujina asked in a playfully menacing voice, "A little band of human soldiers, all alone. What are we going to do with you?"

"Who are you? What do you want?" Mr. Johnson shouted as he stepped forward and tried to keep his fellow airmen from being frightened.

"I will ask the questions here human," Mujina snarled as she quickly shot a small bolt of magic energy at his boots.

Echinazoa turned toward the swamp hag curiously, "Mujina... I have work to do. What good will all this be to us?"

The sorceress gave a wicked smile, "Not to worry. This may yet work to our advantage. You can carry on with your task, and I will use this to distract the Rangers and keep them from interfering with you. I imagine all the humans will be too focused on trying to save a few of their soldiers anyway, don't you think?"

A few of the mollusk warriors moved to restrain the airmen but several of them began to fight back with their bare hands, including Mr. Johnson. Despite their best efforts, the shelled monsters quickly overwhelmed the unarmed servicemen and restrained them in the sands.

"Don't you dare harm any of my men you witch," Mr. Johnson growled as he struggled helplessly on the ground, "Take me instead and let them go. I'm their commanding officer here."

The hag cackled and bent down to leer over her new prisoner, "I have no intention to bargain with you, human. The lot of you are coming with me and that is final."

As the mollusk foot soldiers roughly lifted him up and began to drag the rest of the airmen away, Mr. Johnson couldn't help but feel the need to call his wife and daughter to apologize for his newest failure.


	62. Hau'oli La Hanau: Happy Birthday

**Episode 31: Part 2  
**

It was a busy afternoon on the university campus as Hannah Johnson sat outside the Student Union doing her homework. It was a nice day and many students were out and about, playing frisbee on the quad or hanging out with friends over lunch. Despite the crowded area and the clamor of students, Hannah continued to sit under shade of the Union's patio tables and focus on her schoolwork. She was tired and irritable, but the sooner she finished her homework, the sooner she could go out looking for whatever monster was lurking around the island.

Moments later, her train of thought was disrupted as she saw Alex stroll over and sit down in front of her. The Pink Ranger put down a bag lunch and casually began to open it up, "Hey Hannah... how's it going?"

"Fine," the younger girl mumbled, "I'm busy... doing homework."

"I can see," Alex nodded with a neutral expression, "You know that assignment isn't due until the end of the week, right?"

The Orange Ranger put down her pencil and glared at her friend, "I'm working ahead... unless you just came here to distract me."

"Actually, I came to figure out what's bugging you," Alex sighed as she began to peel an orange, "Ever since brunch last Sunday, you've been kinda moody."

Hannah grumbled and looked away, "Listen, I'm just kinda upset at my Dad still. I don't know why you're being so nosey about all this."

"Well... how about because I'm your oldest friend here?" Alex retorted, "And that I care? I haven't seen you get like this, especially over something as little as a birthday invite."

The Orange Ranger gave a huff and sat back in her seat while Alex continued to eat. After a minute of silence, Hannah finally spoke, "Listen... if you think I'm just throwing a childish temper tantrum or something, you're wrong. This is about more than just my folks not being able to make it out this weekend."

Alex looked up and listened quietly as Hannah continued with a sigh, "I just... I thought everything might be a little different this year, you know? Ever since I was little, I've always been moving around and it's been hard to feel connected to a place, or to a group of people that I could make friends with."

"But we're your friends," Alex said gently, referring to herself and the other Rangers, "You know that."

"Of course I do, and I'm glad for it," Hannah nodded, "That's all great for me here in Hawaii, but for once, I wanted my parents to be part of that too. My Dad's always had to be working or flying missions so he's missed out on several big days that are supposed to be for the family. I know it bothers my Mom sometimes, but she's kinda grown to live with it. I haven't yet."

Alex nodded sympathetically, "Hannah, your Dad has a lot of responsibility and I'm sure he regrets missing out sometimes too. But think... he's doing his job for you and your mother."

"I know that too," Hannah sighed, "Don't get me wrong. He's a great father and I really do love him... but, it's the selfish part of me that can't help but feel a little resentful about how his work puts stress on our family sometimes."

Alex peeled off a slice of her orange and handed it Hannah, "It takes a lot of maturity to recognize and admit that. Maybe you should speak with him about it. At the very least, try to come to some meeting of the minds."

The younger girl sighed and finally nodded, "Yeah... I guess you're right. In the mean time, I suppose I might as well finish this project for class?"

"You never did say why you're working ahead on it," Alex reminded her.

Hannah shrugged, "Honestly, I was going to try and do it so I'd have more time to look for whatever is lurking around the island. If it's a monster I can get rid of myself, that'll save my Dad from having to go out instead."

Alex shook her head in mild reproach, "Hannah, that's dangerous. Let me help you, both with your schoolwork, and with your search."

Just as the two girls exchanged a small smile, they saw their Ocean Bracers flicker along with the disembodied voice of Kanohi.

"Alex, Hannah, come quickly to the temple. Hine Nui's forces are at work again."

Hannah smiled to herself as she and Alex got up and headed toward the nearest outdoor pond on campus, "Perfect timing. This should be a piece of cake."

* * *

After regrouping with their other friends at Ocean Point Temple, the six Rangers gathered around the waters of the temple's sacred spring as the old tiki spoke, "Rangers, I've detected several disturbances just off the coastal waters of the island. I believe I've found the culprit."

The others watched as a large spiny monster resembling a sea urchin bobbed in the deep waters just off the coastline.

David furrowed his brow, "What is that thing? I looks like a giant sea urchin."

"Never mind that. The real question is, what is it up to?" Cam replied while trying to get a better look at the image.

To his surprise, Hannah pushed past him and immediately pounded her fist, "Right now, I don't care. Let's just go in and take em out."

Before she could speak again, Kanohi interrupted her and changed the image, "Do not act so hastily Hannah. There is an equally troubling matter to deal with. Observe."

The Rangers looked again into the magic waters and spied a group of soldiers tied up on the beaches while a small squad of General Kuta's mollusk troops stood guard over them. Hannah's eyes immediately went wide when she recognized the uniforms. "Everyone, those are Air Force guys out there! What are they..."

Her question was answered as the image of Mujina appeared watching over the sight with a cruel smile.

"I can't believe it! They've taken hostages," Naomi exclaimed remembering her own rescue operation to save her father from the swamp hag. "What are we going to do?"

Desmond gave a deep frown and crossed his arms, "We'll just have to split up and deal with them."

Cam turned to the Red Ranger with a concerned expression, "Wait, hold up Desmond. That's what the bad guys might be trying to do in the first place. Divide and conquer."

Desmond shrugged, "Maybe, but remember that we have our new Tidal Surge powers, and I've got the Chieftain Armor in my back pocket. I'll go after the urchin but I may need help from Naomi and Dave. As for Mujina..."

"Don't worry," Hannah replied as she hooked her arms around Cam and Alex's, "You can count on the Midwesterners to save the day over here. If the servicemen are in danger, the three of us will take that personally."

The old kahuna's eyes and mouth flickered as the six young people all teleported away to do battle, "Good luck Rangers, and stay alert for trouble."

* * *

Sometime later, Mujina paced around the western beaches of the island waiting for her enemies to show up. Nearby, she could see the airmen still tied together on the ground by a shady patch of trees. Every so often they would struggle or try to wiggle free of their bonds until a swift kick of a mollusk soldier would put them back in line. As she looked back toward the sands and water in front of her, she gave a bored sneer, wondering how much longer the stupid Ocean Rangers would take until they were alerted to trouble. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long.

From the periphery of her vision, she spotted the shadows of three figures from the sand dunes above her. She calmly turned around to count three Ocean Rangers hurrying to confront her with their weapons drawn.

"Hold it right there Mujina!" Alex shouted while readying her coral knuckle weapons, "We're not going to let you keep those airmen as your prisoners."

The hag planted her magic staff in the ground defiantly, "So it would seem. Only three of you come to challenge me? I almost feel insulted Pink Ranger."

"Three is more than enough to take care of you," Hannah called leveling her bladed hook, "Last chance to surrender Mujina."

The sorceress gave an imperious sniff and summoned a small platoon of Nightmarcher zombies to add to their numbers, "Huaka i'po! Kill them!"

Cam brandished his blade and gripped it tightly, "Alex and I are going to cut a path to Mujina. Hannah, think you can go save the airmen?"

"It would be my pleasure," the Orange Ranger called while charging forward and making a break for the prisoners further up the beach.

While the Blue and Pink Rangers clashed with the undead troops, Hannah made a leaping charge right into the squad of mollusk foot soldiers standing watch over the prisoners. Despite their heavy shell armor, the mollusks were much too slow and unable to keep up with Hannah's speed and agility. As she tripped one warrior with her hook, she tumbled past another and spun around to lash a few with her weapon's whip mode.

Once she regained her balance, she bent the orange rays of sunlight and created the illusion of slowed time to confuse the enemy soldiers. While they stumbled about off balance, Hannah bolted through their ranks, pummeling them on all sides with punishing slashes and blunt ended strikes.

The airmen could only watch in awe as the illusion faded and the warriors collapsed, disolving into black smoke. The Orange Ranger hurried over and used the bladed end of her weapon to cut the bonds and free the airmen, "Don't worry guys. We're here to help. Is everyone okay?"

One of the sergeants nodded but gave a worried look, "Thank you Ma'am, but we're missing our commanding officer, Captain Johnson."

Hannah froze and felt her blood suddenly run cold, "Wait... Captain Will Johnson?"

The sergeant blinked in surprise, "I... yes. How did you know?"

One of the other airmen gave him a light tap on the shoulder, "Uh Sarge? She's a Power Ranger... don't they know everything?"

Hannah waved it off and shook her head, "Where is he? Where is... your C.O?"

She almost said "my father" there.

The sergeant pointed further down the coast, "Somewhere further north. He was struggling a lot and talking back so the hag had him buried up to his neck in the sand. I think she means for him to drown when the next high tide comes in."

Hannah's heart began to race as she looked out toward the waters on the beach. There was still time before the next tide rolled in, but not much. "Okay sergeant, I want you to take the rest of your men and run! Get to safety and let us take care of the monsters. I'm going to go bring Captain Johnson back."

The airmen gave a fearful nod and began to scramble back up the dunes to make their escape. As she turned back to the battle, she saw that Cam and Alex had defeated the foot soldiers and were now locked in battle against the sorceress. Seeing that the prisoners had been set free, Mujina threw up a cloud of sand to temporarily blind her two opponents and make her escape, "It's been fun Rangers, 'But you're still going to be too late!"

"What does she mean by that?" Alex asked in confusion before Hannah hurried up them.

"It's another diversion. Mujina's going to drown my Dad if I don't hurry."

"Then we'll help you," Cam insisted but Hannah grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around, "No, you two get back and help the others with the urchin. I have an idea to save my Dad, but you need to trust me."

Cam and Alex exchanged a hesitant look before shrugging, "Okay. We trust you."

While the two leapt back in the waters and teleported away, Hannah held her Ocean Bracer out towards the sea. Right now, she was going to need the help of an old friend... one that just so happened to be a giant orange fish zord with wings.

* * *

On the opposite end of the island, Desmond, Naomi, and David moved to confront the urchin creature Echinazoa as it emerged from the waters after having buried more of its dark spikes into the seabed. As they charged the monster and locked in combat with it, the spined creature easily swatted them aside one by one.

"Don't you see? It's already too late to stop us Ocean Rangers. Even if you destroy me here, the groundwork for Hine Nui's plan has already been laid."

"What is he talking about?" Naomi growled as she picked herself up off the ground.

David shook his head and helped her up, "Never mind that, how are we going to get close enough to attack? That thing's spikes are too long."

Desmond gripped his spear and took a ready stance, trying to figure out a new strategy when a gout of ocean water erupted from below, blasting the urchin backward and knocking it off balance for a moment.

The other three turned in surprise to see Cam and Alex return to help. David gave a mild sigh of relief, "Glad to see you guys. Where's Hannah?"

"Off saving her Dad," Alex replied quickly, "Mujina ran off and the airmen are safe, so we're here to help now."

As Echinazoa rose again, Desmond turned to his friends and gave a signal, "Ok everyone, new plan. We take this guy out with the Chieftain Armor. Naomi and Alex, get ready to back me up. Cam and Dave, we need a defensive wall."

The others nodded and loaned their strength to Desmond, allowing him to summon his Battlizer powers. Giving his spear a twirl, the Red Chieftain leveled it on his foe, "Okay porcupine, I think it's time that we stuck it back to you."

As he charged, the urchin fired off a stream off spiny darts which harmlessly melted away as they got near the volcanic Ranger. In no time flat, Desmond had closed the distance and Echinazoa's cyclopean eye went wide in shock as the Red Ranger plunged his weapon straight into the bulbous monster's soft spot.

It gave a hiss and a terrible screech of pain as the charged spear set the urchin's insides on fire. As Desmond pulled his weapon free, both Alex and Naomi grabbed Desmond and pulled him back with a combined leap to get free of the coming explosion. They braced themselves as they landed behind a small wall of sand and rocks that David raised with his elemental powers while Cam raised his scallop shield to help offer some extra protection.

The moment they landed and ducked, Echinazoa exploded in a fiery cloud, spraying his dangerous spikes everywhere like some kind of grenade. The force of the blast rippled in the air causing all five Rangers to fall over on each other, but when they sat up, they found their protective wall of sand and rock pierced by several spikes.

"Geez, we almost got turned into shishkebab right now," Alex gulped as she touched the end of a spike sticking out of their barrier.

"Let's just count our blessings and hope that Hannah's having as much as luck as we are," Naomi sighed in relief.

* * *

Meanwhile, the orange flying fish zord flew low over the shores of Oahu's western coastline. From the cockpit of her zord, Hannah kept her eyes fixed on the sands looking for her father. She was losing time and the tide was getting higher so she had to hurry. While she coasted along, Hannah couldn't help but wonder how difficult it was for trained pilots like her father to spot small targets on the ground using only their eyes. To her relief, she spotted a light grayish green object moving in the sands and saw that it was the right camouflage color of an Air Force BDU cap.

She veered her zord around and made a low pass before leaping down to land on the ground. As she scrambled down to the shoreline, the Orange Ranger saw her father buried up to his neck with the tide rolling in. With the water approaching, he increased his struggling with renewed desperation.

When he heard her approach, he turned his head, but Hannah pulled her hook weapon and made a calming gesture, "Captain Johnson? Don't worry. I'm here to help you."

"A Power Ranger… God am I glad to see you," Mr. Johnson gasped, "I wasn't ready to die today… not like this."

"I'll get you home," Hannah said as she scrambled to try digging the airman loose from the wet sands. "You've got family?"

"A wife and daughter," Mr. Johnson nodded as he kept moving his shoulders to dig out, "Hannah… I wanted to apologize to her for missing her birthday party, and I was scared I wouldn't get a chance. She's turning nineteen in a few days."

The Orange Ranger felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes but she kept her voice level while digging, "I promise you'll get that chance sir. Just sit tight a little longer."

The moment she said that, a powerful blast of energy struck her from behind and violently threw her face-first into the wet sands, causing her to demorph.

"Not so fast Orange Ranger. I'm not done playing with my prey just yet," Mujina cackled as she appeared.

Hannah groaned and rolled over to confront the sorceress as Mr. Johnson sat staring in shock at the sight of his daughter before him. Mujina ignored him and continued advancing on the stunned girl, "What's wrong? You're looking a little down."

As the hag began to pass Mr. Johnson, he partially burst free from the sand to grab her leg and trip her, allowing Hannah a chance to recover. "Don't you touch my little girl!"

The hag snarled and whipped her staff around, striking a glancing blow to the airman's temple and knocking him back down.

At the sight of the hag hurting her father, Hannah gripped her weapon and rose to her feet filled with growing fury, "Enough Mujina! First you torment Naomi's father, and now mine? It ends today!"

The hag watched in startled surprise as Hannah raised her Ocean Bracer, remorphing at the same time as calling her own Tidal Surge powers. As the brilliant light faded, Hannah exploded forward in a jet of orange water to attack her enemy. In the wake of the Orange Ranger's furious assault, Mujina could only backpedal and raise her guard against a storm of punishing blows that were rained down upon her.

In desperation, the sorceress transfigured the end of her staff into the head of a water snake and had it spit acid at the Ranger. Hannah tumbled aside and used her own illusion magic to create mirror images of herself and encircle the hag.

"You're not the only one who has tricky magic Mujina!" Hannah called as she lashed her hook whip out along with all her other illusions. The hag shrieked as she became disoriented and was struck from seemingly every side. As she spun on her heel, reeling from the blows, she looked up to see the illusions had faded and the Ranger had set up a finishing strike. Hannah had cast the end of the whip high into the sun and was now bringing down an orange fireball on her enemy, just as the mythical god Maui had once used his hook to snare the sun.

"Lights out Mujina!"

The hag screamed again as the searing ball of fire hit her like a meteorite and violently threw her back into the ocean with a deafening explosion. As the smoke and the fires died down, Hannah pulled off her helmet and rushed to her father's side where he was just starting to sit up.

"Dad! Are you okay?" she gasped as she saw that he had a bruise and a small bleeding gash on his forehead.

"I… I'm fine now," he stammered in surprise before his daughter threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you Hannah… and I'm sorry… for everything."

"That's okay. All that doesn't matter right now."

"So... you're a Power Ranger?"

Hannah looked away sheepishly, "I've... got a lot of explaining to do on the way back. I promise I'll tell you everything."

Mr. Johnson hugged his daughter and smoothed her blond hair back, "For what it's worth, I'm very proud of you kid. You kept me safe today."

Hannah shrugged and wiped her eyes, "Yeah… well, you do that every day for me."

After a pause, she let go and said, "We should get you to a doctor… um, you aren't going to tell Mom about all this… are you?"

Mr. Johnson couldn't help but give a small grin as he glanced up toward the flying fish zord that circled high above, "If I can get a ride in your cool flying fish there, maybe we can work something out."

For the first time that week, Hannah couldn't help but laugh out loud.

* * *

The next afternoon, Hannah and her mother made their way into the Naval medical center at Pearl Harbor-Hickam to check in on Mr. Johnson. After his frightening ordeal with the swamp hag Mujina, Mr. Johnson had been cleared by the base doctors and was ready to go back home. Both Cam and Alex also came along and waited with Hannah in the lobby to see her father discharged. After a short wait, the doors finally opened and Mr. Johnson emerged looking rested and well. Despite the small bandage on his temple, he was in good spirits as he strode over to hug his wife and daughter.

"Oh I missed you two," the fighter pilot laughed as the two of them clung to him, "I'm really sorry I gave you both a scare."

"It's okay Dad. I'm just glad you're safe," Hannah smiled while keeping her arms around him. He gave her a little kiss on the side of her head and moved to speak with Cam and Alex while Mrs. Johnson began filling out discharge papers with the doctor.

"I wanted to thank the both of you too," Mr. Johnson said quietly while extending a hand, "You must be some of Hannah's friends... these Ocean Rangers everyone here talks about. I'm glad to finally get to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours sir," Cam answered before giving the senior officer a respectful salute.

Alex shook Mr. Johnson's hand with a smile too, "He's right. We're just doing our job and we're glad you're okay. I guess Hannah will get a nice early birthday present and have you come home safe and sound."

The Orange Ranger gave a sigh and nodded toward her father, "About that... I'm sorry again that I got upset at you earlier in the week. I mean... I just really wanted you and Mom to be around this year because it would mean a lot. Now that you're back on your feet, I understand if you're going to be busy..."

"About that," Mr Johnson interrupted with a wink, "The funny thing about concussions is that the doctor doesn't want me to get inside a plane for at least another week or so. I was actually thinking I'd use the extra time to go to your party so that your mother and I could get to know your friends a little more. I kinda owe it you... especially now."

"Dad... you really mean that?" Hannah said with an overjoyed look on her face, "This. Is. Awesome!"

Both the Blue and Pink Rangers exchanged an amused smile between each other as Hannah grabbed both her parents by the wrists and led them out of the medical clinic, chattering excitedly about all the activities she now wanted to do with them that week.

* * *

That night, the injured swamp hag Mujina dragged herself back to the safety of the Phantom Isle where Hine Nui continued to stand on the shore, working over her cauldron. As the dark tide rolled in and the hag trudged up to her queen, she bowed her head in shame. "Forgive me my queen. I underestimated the Rangers and Echinazoa was destroyed."

The sea witch paid her little mind and stirred her glowing cauldron with a smile, "Your individual failure does not matter to me. The urchin already completed his mission so now all we do is wait. The Rangers will be so distracted by their little victory, they won't expect the catastrophe that I'm about to unleash."

"And what is that, my queen?"

Hine Nui cast a malicious smile to her general and flashed her bone white teeth, "The perfect storm."

* * *

 **At long last... a Tempest is brewing and the start of the final arc now begins. Thanks for making it this far everyone! We've got one more big storm to weather.**


	63. Makani Pahili: Hurricane

**Episode 32: Part 1  
**

It was a hot and humid summer morning as Desmond Waihee and David Hosokawa stood in the shallow waters of the boat slip near the beach house. They had removed their shirts and were standing waist deep in water, working to scrape away barnacles from the bottom of Desmond's boat Luna.

"Damn, these suckers are really stubborn," David grunted as he continued to work. Desmond shrugged and kept scraping on his own end.

"One of the drawbacks of owning a boat my friend. But hey, it's not all that bad. We get a good workout in and the girls over there don't seem to mind either."

From the sands of the beach nearby, both Naomi and Alex were sitting under the shade of an umbrella, enjoying some cool drinks while reclining in a pair of folding chairs. Both girls angled their seats to not only take in the sight of the ocean, but they turned their heads around every so often to "admire the view" as well.

David snorted in amusement and glanced over, catching Alex watching him at the moment. Instead of feeling embarrassed, the Pink Ranger simply gave a playful smile and raised her drink in salute. David shook his head and laughed as he got back to work, but not before feeling a slight ripple of air across his back.

Desmond seemed to notice it too and the Red Ranger stopped to look out over the clouds far off on the ocean horizon. He stood like that for a long moment before David cleared his throat, "Uh, Desmond? Is everything okay?"

Desmond frowned to himself and gave a shake of his head as if dismissing a silly notion, "I… it was nothing. I just felt the wind suddenly shift and it seemed a little odd."

David wiped the sweat from his brow and gave the hull of the boat a tap, "Well, maybe if we're lucky it'll bring us a nice cooling breeze. Let's get back to work, huh?"

"Yeah..." the Red Ranger said with a hint of uncertainty. While David didn't pay the wind any mind, Desmond took one more look out toward sea before giving a slow nod and returning to his own work.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Cameron Monroe was led to the office of the base commander, Admiral James Taylor. As he entered and saluted the Admiral, Cam's immediate commanding officer Captain Benjamin Ramos sat at another nearby chair working on something over an electronic tablet.

Once he was settled, Admiral Taylor opened up a file on his desk and picked up a few of the papers. He fixed the young man with his sharp eyes and gave a curt nod, "Lieutenant Monroe, thank you for coming in today on such short notice. We had some urgent matters we wanted to discuss."

The Blue Ranger tilted his head slightly with a curios expression, "Sir?"

"Your recent report about the urchin creature," Taylor began, "I wasn't able to glean much information about the motives of Hine Nui's latest attack."

Cam nodded, "Yes sir, unfortunately I arrived to that combat zone late. None of us had been able to learn much about the monster, but from what the other Rangers and I pieced together, it was lurking around the coastal waters preparing something for the sea witch. My guess is that maybe it was doing reconnaissance for her?"

"Possibly," the Admiral shrugged with a grim expression, "But I'm beginning to think it had something else in mind."

He gestured for Ramos to hand Cam the electronic tablet. On it was a topographic map of Oahu and the nearby ocean regions. "Our boys who monitor the weather and do long range telemetry have picked up on some unusual air patterns taking shape in the region."

Cam watched as the electronic simulation began to run and display large rotating air masses beginning to form. The Blue Ranger frowned and glanced outside to the clear skies before looking back at the tablet, "Sir... if I'm not mistaken, this looks like some kind of storm system... almost like a hurricane."

"Not just a hurricane son," Captain Ramos said with a level look on his face, "If we're predicting this right, it looks to be a Category 5 storm. Think Super Cyclone."

Cam frowned and studied the diagram again, "I don't understand Sir. I may not know much about reading this kind of data, but this thing looks like it will form in only a matter of days... and the air patterns are spinning only around Oahu, like we're the epicenter of the storm."

Admiral Taylor nodded with a stony face, "It's too unusual for it to be a coincidence, don't you think? Captain Ramos and I fear this might be the doing of the sea witch."

Cam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Admiral... Hine Nui is powerful, but I'm not even sure she can conjure up a super-sized hurricane. What do you think her angle would be?"

Taylor closed his file grimly, "I'm leaving that task to you and the Rangers to figure out Lieutenant. In the meantime, I've advised the city of Honolulu to hunker down for a storm and I'm recalling all nearby ships of the Pacific Fleet back to port. I'm not going to take any chances, and neither should you."

Cam rose slowly from his seat and gave a nod to Ramos and then a salute to the Admiral, "Aye Sir. We won't let you down."

As the Blue Ranger left the office, Admiral Taylor turned his seat around to glance out the window toward the skies. After a long silence, Captain Ramos looked up from his own work and cleared his throat, "Is something wrong Admiral?"

Taylor furrowed his brow and gave a contemplative sigh, "Nothing... just an old salt getting a bad feeling. Captain, once the rest of the Fleet checks in, I want you to stay near your ship for the time being. Keep the cruiser Poseidon combat ready and stand by for further orders."

Ramos blinked in confusion before rising to his feet and giving a salute, "Aye aye Sir. I'll see to it right now."

Once the Captain left the office, Taylor turned back to the window, hoping that he could just chalk up this dark premonition to an old military officer's paranoia.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Phantom Isle, the sea witch Hine Nui stood over her black glowing cauldron, stirring the swirling contents with slow methodical stokes. As her two subordinates General Kuta and Mujina stood back watching, they noticed that the distant skies began to grow darker and coalesce into thick cloud banks. Unknown to them, the cursed spikes that Hine Nui's urchin monster had driven into the seabed began to resonate with the ritual spell she was casting. The urchin had planted the magic spikes all around the waters of Oahu and as they began to dissolve, the water that evaporated with it began to affect the air currents above. Slowly but surely, a powerful cell of storm clouds was beginning to take shape and rotate around the region.

As Hine Nui finished her next set of incantations, General Kuta crossed his arms, "My queen, why do you intend to keep Oahu at the center of this colossal hurricane? Don't you want it to be destroyed?"

The sea witch laughed gently as she continued to stir, "If I choose to do so, then yes General. The option will always be available to me. If possible, I'd like to try and seize the island intact first."

Mujina tilted her head curiously, "You intend to keep the storm swirling around Oahu to cut it off from any outside aid then?"

"Precisely," Hine Nui nodded, "The people of the island will be trapped and helpless against our final military push. General, you've gathered all your Benthic troops together?"

Kuta nodded and gave a slight bow, "With another day, they will be ready to move on your command. Once we deploy, we can encircle the island in just a few hours."

The sea witch nodded, "Very good. Keep your troops at the ready. When I give the signal, you and Mujina will lead the attack. I want you to seize Honolulu and if the Ocean Rangers get in your way, destroy them."

"It will be done," the swamp hag replied giving a bow herself. "And so will the Rangers."

* * *

The next day, the Ocean Rangers all gathered at the ruins of Ocean Point Temple to speak to Kanohi. As Cam finished relating what he had spoken about with his commanders the other day, he passed a small file to his fellow Rangers to read over.

Kanohi remained in thoughtful silence while Desmond breezed through the papers and handed them off to David. "I guess that makes some sense. I kinda got a strange vibe yesterday and felt the wind shift suddenly."

"Not to mention the skies look a little more ominous today… don't you think?" Hannah asked while glancing toward the gathering gray clouds in the distant heavens.

Alex frowned and crossed her arms, "All right, so let's assume that Hine Nui really is cooking up some monster storm. How is she even doing this? It's gotta take some serious magic to manipulate all those air and water currents, right?"

Kanohi finally spoke, "Knowing her magic, I'm guessing it has something to do with that urchin monster you had destroyed. For a ritual like this, there has to be set boundaries and carefully placed magical focus anchors. Whatever that urchin was doing, he was likely laying out those items."

Naomi began to pace quietly, "Okay, but if Oahu is caught in the eye of this coming storm, then what exactly does Hine Nui hope to accomplish? She's not actually planning to destroy the island, is she?"

"Even since the days of our ancient war, it's always been her intent to physically conquer the island," Kanohi replied gravely, "There are only two possible reasons she would be doing this. Either she intends to keep away any outside help from the mainland… or she plans to trap us here, so that she can attack in force as she pleases."

The other Rangers fell deathly silent at the bleak thought before Desmond clenched his fist, "If Hine Nui is trapping us within this super hurricane, then that means she'll be trapped with us. We should try to attack her first."

David stood quietly while turning the situation over in his head. Finally, he looked up and spoke, "Desmond may be on to something. Kanohi, we have to assume that Hine Nui must be exerting a lot of magic and effort to make this happen. Is there any way you can get a fix on where that spell is originating from?"

The kahuna's eyes flickered as he gave thoughtful rumble. "I believe it's possible. It will take some time, but I think I can locate the origin of this great spell."

"Awesome!" Hannah exclaimed, "Once we do that, we can just go send a couple warplanes from Hickam to go carpetbomb Hine Nui into oblivion."

"As much as I love the idea too, something tells me it won't be that easy," Cam said levelly, "In the mean time, we should probably dig in and prepare to play defense. If Kanohi is right, then now will be a prime opportunity for Hine Nui to throw everything she has at us."

The six Rangers fell silent again before Desmond began heading toward the waters of the sacred spring, "Keep us posted Kanohi. Until we can figure out where Hine Nui is, the defense of this island is going to be our first priority."

As the others joined him and teleported back toward their homes in the city, they couldn't help but feel the winds of change again… but this time they were ones born more of chaos and uncertainty of what the next few days would bring.

* * *

A distant rumble of thunder was heard from the dark swirling skies as General Kuta stood on the shores of the Phantom Isle with a company of his best mollusk warriors. He kept his large eyes fixed on the distant shores of Oahu and observed the broad churning fronts of the clouds blanketing the skies as far as the eye could see. The hurricane was beginning to take shape and the waters around the islands had begun to grow unsettled.

The mollusk commander turned back to observe the impressive force he had assembled for this final attack. At Hine Nui's bidding, a large number of her Benthic allies had answered the call and a few thousand mollusk foot soldiers stood alongside undead Nightmarchers to form mixed infantry companies. Bobbing in the nearby waters, a fleet of Benthic warships had assembled to participate in the attack as well. The hull of each ship was crafted out of thick bumpy shells and coral while bristling with cannons fashioned after barnacles along the sides.

Kuta watched patiently as the troop transport ships of the Benthic fleet made landfall and opened their hatches for the foot soldiers to begin boarding. While the General supervised the efforts, the sorceress Mujina joined him on the beach and inspected the progress.

"I'm impressed General. I didn't expect you'd be able to muster this number of troops in such a short amount of time."

Kuta snorted, "This invasion force should be more than a match for the feeble efforts of the Rangers."

The swamp hag turned her head slightly, "And what of the other humans? You know they also have a sizeable military force of their own on that island."

"I expect them to inflict some casualties on us," Kuta shrugged, "But if we can overwhelm the Rangers and defeat them in one surge, that will surely break the fighting spirit of the other humans. Without their Rangers, the humans will surely surrender."

As another ship pulled up to the shore, Kuta gestured slowly toward the gangplank, "Now, follow me Mujina. Our own transport ship awaits us. Come tomorrow we will realize our queen's goal and finally be rid of our enemies once and for all."


	64. Kupale: Defense

**Episode 32: Part 2  
**

A strong gust of wind blew and rattled against the windows of the beach house as dreary gray light filtered into the living room. Outside, the palm trees were swaying at a slight angle from the strong winds of the storm that now engulfed the entire region. By now, the Ocean Rangers along with Mr. Sato had gathered inside the beach house, deciding to stay together for safety while the super sized hurricane finished taking shape. Even from their windows, they could see the normally steady ocean waters churning restlessly, almost with a violent mind of its own.

Mr. Sato glanced out the windows again to the dark towering wall of clouds in the distant oceans, "It looks like the storms are getting worse. Do you think Kanohi will be able to locate Hine Nui's lair in time?"

"He's got to," Naomi said bleakly as she sat down beside her father on the couch, "I hope you don't mind being here right now. I just wanted to make sure you were going to be safe if anything happened."

The older businessman smiled warmly and put a comforting arm around his daughter's shoulders, "That's okay Naomi. I figure if I'm sitting here in a room full of Rangers, this has to be the safest place on the entire island."

The Yellow Ranger gave a faint smile and glanced around the room to see how her other friends were trying to pass the time and calm their restless nerves. Both David and Alex were busy in the kitchen cooking a meal for everyone while Desmond sat idly in the corner strumming chords on his ukulele. At the other end of the room, Hannah and Cam silently took turns tossing playing cards into Cam's military dress cap.

Another rumble of distant thunder echoed over the waters as several flashes of lightning lit up the tops of the swirling clouds. Mr. Sato grimaced and walked over to the television set, "Here's an idea... why don't we all just relax and maybe watch some tv?"

As he turned it on, everyone turned to see the breaking news report that began to flash across the screen. The Rangers stared dumbstruck in horror as they saw live footage of several Benthic warships made of jagged shells and coral emerging directly from the waters near the public beaches of Honolulu. Several of the enemy ships fired off broadsides from their barnacle cannons while the smaller transport boats began heading toward the shore to unload the first wave of landing troops.

Moments later, the 6 Rangers' bracelets flickered to life as Desmond spoke into his, "We just saw the news Kanohi… the whole city is under attack now."

Another volley of barnacle cannons fired, destroying several seaside buildings and setting fires to the area. The coastal edge of the city looked it was breaking into complete chaos. From where she stood, Alex pounded her fist impatiently, "Come on everyone! We have to do something!"

"Oh God... look at all those ships and enemy troops," David said watching the live news feed begin to break up. "How are we gonna be able to take them on?"

"We've got our zords," Desmond answered grimly while heading toward the door, "But first thing is first. We've got to stop that first wave of foot soldiers from getting any further into the city. Come on!"

As the other Rangers turned to head out the door toward the stormy ocean waters, Naomi stopped and turned to her father. Before she could speak, he raised a hand and gave a calm nod, "I'll stay here and be safe Naomi... but I want you to be careful too."

"I will Dad, I promise."

Mr Sato sighed again and gave a faint smile, "I'm so proud of you right now... and if your mother were here, I know she would be too."

The Yellow Ranger held back a tear and gave her father one more smiling nod before turning to head out the door into a biggest battle the Ocean Rangers had yet faced.

* * *

Meanwhile, the edge of Honolulu facing the sea was in complete chaos. Fires were spreading from a steady bombardment of the Benthic warships while local police did their best to evacuate fleeing civilians. Amid the smoke and clamor of bodies, Bailey Hampshire pushed through the crowd despite her relatively petite size.

Having been friends with a team of Power Rangers for this long, she had faced down undead soldiers, cursed artifacts, and ancient island demons, but nothing had prepared her for dealing with something of this magnitude. The surprise attack of the Benthic fleet was quickly becoming like a modern Pearl Harbor attack, except this time, the enemy assault was on a civilian population center. As much as she hated to do it, she had to evacuate her restaurant and now she was truly lost and frightened.

In the near distance, she could see small bands of Nightmarchers and mollusk soldiers making their way into Waikiki to terrorize the people. She could only hope help would come soon: whether it was the police, the US Marines, or the Ocean Rangers. As the crowd panicked again, Bailey found herself pushed to the ground and almost trampled, but not before several strong hands came to grab her and lift her to her feet.

To the young restaurant owner's relief, she found herself face to face with both Desmond and Alex, as well as the other Ocean Rangers who were making their way to the battle line. Alex put a steady hand on her friend's shoulder, "Bailey! Are you okay?"

Bailey gave a relieved nod and turned to hug her boyfriend Desmond, "I am so glad to see all of you. What is going on?"

"It looks like Hine Nui is finally making her move," Desmond replied, brushing aside some of her hair from her face, "You need to get clear and find a safe place to hide. I promise we'll protect you."

Bailey gave a conflicted frown and looked him straight in the eye, "Desmond Waihee, promise me right now that you'll come back, alive and in one piece."

The Red Ranger gave a mild laugh and answered her with a firm kiss on the lips, "Bailey, go now!"

The Rangers' ally and confidant gave one more reluctant nod before turning and running off with the rest of the fleeing civilians. As they stood in the middle of the empty street and watched the advancing troops push toward them, the Rangers stood together in defiant silence, trying to steel their nerves for the coming battle. Finally Alex murmured, "That's a lot of Nightmarchers and shell heads."

"Plenty to go around then," Hannah added nervously, "You guys wanna race? See how fast we can fight our way back to the beach?"

"Sure... why the hell not?" David laughed in a shaky voice. Beside him, Cam simply remained silent and swallowed hard before making the sign of the cross over himself.

As the enemy approached, Desmond raised his Ocean Bracer, "Okay everyone, let's drive these ugly bastards back into the sea!"

The other Rangers immediately followed suit and morphed, summoning their weapons and charging forward. As the six heroes collided with the monstrous foot soldiers, they fought with a new kind of vigor... one born of desperation to defend their besieged city. Like an animal backed into a corner, the Ocean Rangers carved through the ranks of the undead Nightmarchers and the armored mollusks with furious aggression.

While the Hawaiian martial art of Lua had always been a brutal tribal fighting style, the advance guard of the Benthic infantry was taken aback by the Ocean Rangers' sudden savagery. Desmond led the charge as he lanced through handfuls of Nightmarchers with his blazing spear. As he pushed through the enemy, David covered the Red Ranger's advance by smashing aside the armored mollusks with his club and throwing the top heavy warriors off balance with his earth element.

From up above on the awnings and low hanging trees of the city streets, Hannah attacked with her hook whip, lashing aside enemies or pouncing on ones that Desmond or David had missed. Once she cleared away a set of enemies, she would continue to leapfrog from the higher nooks and crannies to act as a sort of aerial threat from above.

Along the adjacent street, the other three Rangers launched their own counteroffensive against the enemy infantry. Cam and Alex led the push on the ground, taking the enemy in hand to hand combat. While Alex outmaneuvered the slow mollusk troops, she used her sunlight element to blind their large sensitive eyes. Once they let their guard down, she used the blunt striking force of her knuckle weapons to crack their shells and break their armor apart with crushing blows. As she did that, Cam worked to thin the ranks of the unarmored Nightmarchers, hewing through them with his blade weapon and slashes empowered with the water element.

Above the Pink and Blue Rangers, Naomi used her magic feather cloak to dance along the wind currents and pick off enemies with attacks from her clubs. By empowering the weapons with her element, she was able to hurl the clubs and have them come back to her amid a miniature spinning pocket of air, like small deadly boomerangs.

Once the exhausted Rangers cleaved their way back onto the beaches, they stopped to try and catch their breath... only to be horrified by the sight of another squadron of troop transport ships preparing to unload a fresh new wave of Benthic warriors.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Naomi moaned in dread, "We are so screwed."

The moment she said that, the Rangers froze as they heard a whistling sound from the skies and a projectile weapon streaked from the clouds to strike the Benthic transport ship like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, the ship erupted into a ball of fire and the shredded halves of the boat crumpled under the waves. Up above, a whole mixed squadron of fighter planes from Hickam Field made their appearance to dive bomb the Benthic Fleet. Hannah was the first to pump a fist and give a cheer, "Yeah! Go get em Dad!"

She gave a wave seeing the smaller F-16 Falcons flying alongside F-35 Lightnings and Naval F-18 Hornets. Up above in the skies, Hannah's father Captain Will Johnson gave a thumbs up toward the shore before turning back to the task at hand. As he adjusted his speed and maneuvered into position, he lined up his next target, "Razor Flight be advised, we have multiple enemy contacts. We are clear to engage and destroy. Let's give em hell!"

Several more Benthic ships exploded in flames as the fighter planes rained a volley of missiles down upon them. No sooner had the enemy ships turned their cannons skyward when they were bombarded by another volley of shells and missiles. Approaching from the west was a small task force of Navy warships led by Captain Ramos and the battlecruiser Poseidon.

As the main body of the Benthic fleet turned to face the combined efforts of the US Navy and Air Force, a large enemy ship suddenly surfaced from the water and plowed right into the shore, startling the Rangers. As the gangplank fell amid a cloud of sand, a pack of fresh troops poured out along with General Kuta and the sorceress Mujina. Despite the chaos of the furious battle raging around them, both of Hine Nui's generals strode forward confidently. They seemed unconcerned with the dangers of the battlefield around them before addressing the Rangers.

"Rangers... you didn't disappoint me," Kuta smiled, "I was hoping you'd come to face us on the battlefield today."

"Of course we would! When you're trashing our home city, you can bet we're going to be a little pissed," Desmond snarled, "We've already defeated you both in the past so we'll just do it again."

"I think not Red Ranger," Mujina smirked condescendingly, "Today we intend to end our little feud with you once and for all. Once you fall, so will the rest of the island."

Cam snorted in derision as he watched the USS Poseidon sink another Benthic warship with a cruise missile, "Looks to me like your crummy fleet is getting its ass kicked. I think there's plenty of fight left in the people of this island."

Both generals each produced a small glass bottle of a dark potion. As he uncorked the bottle, the mollusk commander smiled with his tentacled maw, "You say that now Blue Ranger, but I have a feeling you won't be so smug once we drink these potions... gifts made from the leftovers of Hine Nui's grand ritual spell."

The two Benthic generals immediately downed the potions and tossed aside the bottles. While the two generals advanced slowly, the six Rangers couldn't help but recoil in slight surprise as a ghastly dark aura began to swirl around the mollusk and the sorceress. While they walked forward, both Kuta and Mujina slowly grew several inches and became more physically intimidating. It was as if the dark chaotic magic of the evil hurricane spell was slightly morphing their bodies and making them stronger.

"Well... crap," Alex muttered as she dug in her heels, "That was unfortunate... and a little unexpected too."

Desmond gripped his spear tightly and stepped forward, "Stand your ground everyone! We're not gonna give the sea witch's generals an inch today!"

Right now, the Red Ranger was thinking back to his trials in the Temple of Kane, and all the lessons he had learned. He had to be fearless and he wasn't about to recklessly take on a general alone. This was going to be an important fight so everyone had to fight smart too. Right now, they'd have to be observant of their enemies and look for a weakness. Glancing over, it looked like Cam had come to the same conclusion.

The Blue Ranger gave a wave to reorganize the others, "All right, two teams! We'll do this three-on-one!"

Desmond nodded and the Rangers regrouped to engage the two super powered commanders in direct combat. As he moved into range of General Kuta, the Red Ranger felt the edges of the monster's dark swirling aura brush against him. It was a stinging sensation and he felt the debilitating magic seem to paralyze and weaken him for a moment. He had been so caught off guard that in the moment he cleared the aura and got close to Kuta, the general slammed him aside with a forceful blow of his halberd.

Cam and Alex immediately rushed in to back him up but they were also staggered by the dark aura and swept away by the increased strength of the mollusk warrior. Across the battlefield, the other Rangers were not faring any better against Mujina. Like Desmond, Naomi charged forward first and momentarily paralyzed by the dark energy field whirling around the hag. Mujina cackled toward her enemy and leveled her staff firing a bolt of supercharged magic that blew the Yellow Ranger backwards.

Even as David moved to catch Naomi, she collided against him with so much force that it still knocked both Rangers to the ground. Hannah stopped and watched the failed attack before preparing one of her own, "Okay, if we can't get near you, try this!"

The Orange Ranger lashed out her hook whip toward the hag but gasped as she saw Mujina's aura of dark whirling wind partially deflect the attack away, causing her to miss. As the end of the hook struck the ground, Mujina quickly snatched up the whip cord and gave it a forceful tug sideways to throw Hannah into her other two friends. As the three Rangers collided with each other again, both Mujina and Kuta swept their polearms along the ground blowing all the Rangers back with another blast of super charged energy.

"Damn! We're getting our butts kicked," Hannah groaned as she and her friends struggled to their feet, "What are we going to do?"

"How about using our own power up?" Alex called while shaking the stars from her vision.

Desmond shook his head, "No, not yet. We've gotta fight smarter. We've need to get around those dark auras surrounding the generals."

As Kuta and Mujina closed in again, Naomi turned her head to the Red Ranger, "You've got a plan?"

"I think do," Cam said suddenly as he continued to watch the dark swirling auras, "They said those potions were leftovers of Hine Nui's hurricane spell, right? It's like those the generals have small dark hurricanes around them too. That means there's only one way to attack them."

Desmond grinned, "I see... we hit them right in the eye of their own storm. Okay everyone, regroup. We've got to coordinate this just right."

The other Rangers gave a nod and everyone called upon their Tidal Surge powers to enhance their strength. As he gave his spear a twirl, Desmond charged forward to lead a renewed attack, "All right Rangers, Surfs up!"

General Kuta growled and moved to intercept him, but gave a surprised gasp as Alex used her pink jets to make a leaping attack from above and jump over the dark swirling energy around him. The mollusk's eye went wide as Alex channeled as much sunlight as she could to blind him and hammer at his cuirass with a series of blunt crushing knuckle strikes. As Kuta's armor began to crack and buckle, he barely looked up in time to see Cam burst through the dark aura using the magic scallop shield of Kanaloa. As it was designed, the shield warded away the dark Benthic magic allowing Cam to plow a path for him to attack with Desmond right behind. The Blue Ranger struck next with a tremendous charged slash and shattered a section of Kuta's armor apart, exposing the general's soft vulnerable innards to attack.

As Cam and Alex leapt aside, Desmond rushed in and struck a finishing blow to the mollusk commander. He drove his blazing spear right into Kuta's exposed chest and channeled as much volcanic fire to deep fry the general from within his own shell. The mollusk's eyes went wide and he made a terrible gurgling sound as Cam and Alex moved to back Desmond and push his spear further. "No! You can't... do this... to..."

Kuta never finished his sentence as he exploded in a cloud of volcanic fire, dark magic, and shrapnel from his shell armor.

Nearby, Mujina was too busy fending off her other enemies as David rushed in and used his green jets to push aside some of the hag's aura away. She gasped in confusion as David tried to bullrush her and pin her in place by grabbing her staff. As she struggled, she eventually pushed the Green Ranger aside with her enhanced strength, "Fool! Did you think you could physically overpower me?"

"Nope, but I know I can outsmart you," David smiled as he pointed upward and leapt away. Mujina glanced directly above her where Naomi was diving down on her from above. Naomi's feather cloak fluttered behind her and her clubs were aimed forward for a charged strike. The hag didn't have any time to react as the Yellow Ranger struck her from above while avoiding the aura. As the serrated clubs tore into her, Mujina howled as as the charged wind element threw her upwards within another self contained whirlwind summoned by her enemy. The disoriented hag spun upwards and tumbled in confusion before she saw that she had been lined up perfectly for one more attack from Hannah.

The Orange Ranger whipped her hook around charging a glowing orange fireball at the end of it. When it had gained enough strength and momentum, Hannah released the searing orb of light at the completely exposed swamp hag caught in midair. Mujina screamed in fury as the second finishing attack struck her and completely incinerated her in a terrific explosion which rocked the entire beachfront. As the fires began to die down, the rest of the Benthic forces froze in confusion, both from the withering attacks of the US military and at the loss of their commanders.

"All right!" David cheered as he pumped a fist, "We finally did it!"

But it seemed the Green Ranger had spoken too soon. Although Hine Nui's two generals had been destroyed, the remnants of her her dark magic spell remained in the air and swirled around gathering some remains of Kuta and Mujina. Before the Rangers knew it, the dark magic had combined the remains of the two generals and magnified the rest of their power into a giant monster. Towering over the shoreline stood a horrific amalgamation of a mollusk soldier and and a swampy creature. The asymmetric abomination gave a bellowing roar to the dark skies causing the Rangers to stand frozen in shock.

Once they had regained their composure, Cam slowly turned to the Red Ranger, "I think you know what this means... right?"

Desmond kept his eyes fixed on the giant monster and produced the conch shell used for summoning the zords, "I think it's time to start round two."


	65. Ho'opa'i: Revenge

**Episode 33: Part 1  
**

The sound of the royal conch shell sounded loudly above the din of battle that continued to rage on the coast of Honolulu. The skies were already gray from the smoke that hung in the air and continued to pour from damaged city buildings as well as smoldering wreckage of Benthic warships that been destroyed. Air Force fighter jets still screamed overhead and harassed the remaining Benthic fleet which had begun withdrawing from the shore.

Hot on their heels came several Navy warships which moved to form a defensive line in the city's water while still firing rockets and long range cannons at the enemy. By now, several military helicopters were arriving in the city and deploying squads of Marines to safeguard the civilians and mop up any Benthic soldiers that were left behind.

Presently, the largest threat was a giant monster standing in the bay snarling and swatting at fighter jets above. The monster was a sick parody of the former General Kuta and the sorceress Mujina. It was part armored mollusk, part swamp creature, and neither male nor female. One could only imagine the mindset of such a mutant creature that had been formed from the remains of two great monsters who were now bound together in undeath.

From their place on the shore, the Rangers watched in relief as their zords approached over the dark horizons. Hannah gave one more glance to the giant hybrid monster and shuddered, "Do you guys think we'll have enough firepower to take out Ku-jina over there?"

Cam frowned in confusion as he turned toward her, "Kujina?"

"Yeah... it's Kuta and Mujina, right? Besides, Muta just sounds stupid don't you think?"

The Blue Ranger simply shook his head to himself and prepared to board his own zord as it neared.

While the Ocean Rangers made their way to their zords, Captain Johnson soared from above and sprayed the back of Kujina's neck with machine gun fire before expending his last missile on the back of the monster's head. As he and his fighter squadron finished their attack run, they swooped back around in a wide arc over Honolulu to set up a holding pattern. The enemy fleet had already been chased off and the monster standing in the bay didn't seem to be taking any significant damage from their weapons.

"Battlegroup Poseidon, this is Razor-1. We're out of missiles but we still have a visual on the monster. Standing by for further orders."

From the other end of the comm, Captain Ramos's voice could be heard, "Understood Razor Leader. Take your squadron back to base to refuel and rearm. We're going to hold the line here and provide covering fire for the Ocean Rangers."

"Roger that Poseidon, Razor Flight moving to withdraw."

As the military regrouped, the Rangers' zords formed up into the Ocean Force Megazord to confront the newest threat. After the Navy ships fired one last salvo of gunfire at the monster, Kujina turned with a snarl to meet the advancing Megazord. At the helm of the Megazord, Desmond leveled his gaze and pumped his controls forward, "All right you freak, time to put you away for good."

Kujina growled as it collided with the Megazord and began exchanging blows in front of all the city. Breaking free of the initial tangle, the Megazord smashed the monster backward with a devastating punch and reared back to follow up with a second. It never finished its motion as Kujina lashed out with a tentacled arm and snared the Megazord's limb. The Ocean Rangers all gave a gasp as Kujina pulled violently and grappled the Megazord closer in its crushing grip.

"Damn... that thing is getting a little too close for comfort," Naomi called, "What do you say we cut loose?"

With that, the Megazord called its swordfish saber in its off-hand and brought it around to slice off the tip of the creature's tentacle. Kujina roared and recoiled in pain as the Megazord righted itself and went back on the offensive. Although it landed several blows, the titanic monster's shell plating along its upper body mitigated most of the damage. The Megazord continued to slash away until its strike was blocked by a summoned weapon from the monster: a fusion between a magic staff and a jagged halberd.

Kujina lashed out with its tentacle arm to strike the Megazord and followed it up with another devastating blow from its weapon. As the Ocean Force Megazord reeled and tried to raise its guard, Cam muttered bleakly from his console, "Looks like things can't get much worse."

In response, the armored shoulder plates of Kujina opened up like sea shells and fired a withering barrage of magic bolts and barnacle shot.

The Ocean Rangers shouted in dismay as the Megazord was hit full on and knocked backwards into the waters. The Blue Ranger could only shake his head in disbelief, "You know, I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut."

"Please do," Hannah retorted in mild sarcasm while giving him a light punch in the shoulder.

"Okay everyone, we took some damage here but we can't keep taking hits like that," David called over from his controls.

Alex nodded and braced herself in her seat, "He's right. We've gotta come up with a new strategy and fast."

Meanwhile, the Navy warships unloaded a barrage of fire on Kujina to momentarily stagger the beast while the Megazord regained its footing. Once the Megazord rose again, Desmond gave a nod to the Pink Ranger, "Okay, time to switch things up. We're going to need some extra armor and our diving ability."

Alex got the hint and pulled out her coral whistle to summon their auxiliary killer whale zord. In no time flat, the large secondary attack zord Orca came surging up from under the waves and plowed into Kujina from behind, knocking the enemy over while it passed. Moments later, the zord separated apart and fused with the Ocean Force Megazord to boost its armor and deep sea diving abilities.

Once Kujina recovered to its feet, it leveled its weapon and fired off a barrage of dark magic on its enemy. The Megazord plowed forward through the barrage and bullrushed the monster back out into the deeper ocean where they both submerged beneath the waves. As the two combatants moved deeper and deeper out to sea, they continued exchanging fierce blows with each other until they both landed near some cracks in the ocean floor.

Hot jets of steam were bubbling up from the fissures making the terrain hazardous and hostile to the two giant fighters. From the Megazord cockpit, Hannah pointed and called out, "Hey everyone, those look like hydrothermal vents. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

Desmond nodded as Kujina charged again, "All right, let's turn up the heat on the bad guys."

While the Megazord fended off its giant enemy, the Rangers struck several blows at the ground to widen the fissure and cause the underwater crack to grow more. Finally, their efforts paid off as a crack opened wide spewing a cloud of volcanic steam and lava.

Amid the tempest of boiling water and obscuring steam, David grinned, "Okay, now we just play the positioning game."

Kujina gave a surprised snarl as the Megazord grappled it and pushed the abomination into the shallow fissure. The monster roared in pain as its lower body fell into the gap and suffered searing heat while struggling to free itself.

"Take that! Now we've got you!" Alex cheered but she celebrated too soon as Kujina made one last desperation attack with its polearm. The Rangers gasped in shock as the weapon impaled the lower torso of the Megazord and pinned it in place with the monster.

"Uh Desmond... we've got to get out of here now," Cam shouted in dread, "The longer we wait, the more pressure is going to build in that vent."

The Red Ranger nodded and gripped his controls, "Got it. Cam, take a bite out of that staff. Alex, we need you to shoot us clear."

The underwater tussle continued until the blue shark arm of the Megazord reached over and snapped off the end of the halberd with its teeth. Taking aim with its other arm, the Megazord used its pink seahorse nozzle to shoot a powerful jet of bubbles into Kujina while propelling itself upward. As the damaged Megazord made its escape upward, Kujina kept struggling and clawing upward before it felt a rumbling underneath. To the giant monster's horror, the pressure in the volcanic underwater vent had become so intense that it exploded in a great cloud of magma and water. Kujina was completely obliterated in the explosion and the giant bubble of air rose up and slammed into the Megazord, pushing it toward the shoreline.

From the coast of Honolulu, the fleet of Navy ships watched as a great column of water exploded in the distant ocean followed by a miniature tidal wave. At the bridge of his ship, Captain Ramos gripped a handrail and grabbed his speaker, "Attention all hands! This is the captain, brace yourselves for impact!"

The other sailors and crewmen quickly secured their stations and fearfully gripped the nearest bolted down object they could find. Due to the positioning of the fleet, it shielded the beaches of the city and mitigated some of the wave's force as it impacted. The warships rattled and lurched as they took the hit but stayed afloat while the rest of the tidal shockwave made its way and crashed on the nearby beaches causing only minimal damage to the edge of the city.

As the U.S.S. Poseidon righted itself, the shaken crewmen exhaled with a sigh of relief. From his station, Isaac Coach turned to the captain and removed his hat to wipe away some sweat, "What the heck just happened, sir?

Ramos steadied his breathing and tried to compose himself, "I'm not sure Petty Officer. I'm hoping that was the Power Rangers destroying the monster."

"Sir?"

"Keep a radio channel open for them," the captain said, "I also want a damage report and a forward spotting crew on the water. If that monster pops out of the ocean again, I want it to get a face full of cannon fire."

Encouraged by their captain's composure, the rest of the crew hurried to their tasks while Ramos kept a steady watch on the distant waters. After several long minutes, a large form emerged from the waters giving the sailors a reason to cheer in relief. The damaged Ocean Force Megazord slowly staggered into the more shallow waters as the Navy warships stood down.

The radioman on the bridge turned and handed a headset over Ramos, "Captain, incoming transmission from the Rangers. It's for you."

Ramos nodded and put on the headset, "This is Captain Ramos."

Cameron's voice replied on the other end, "Captain, the situation is under control. The giant monster has been destroyed."

"Thank God," the captain nodded, "I'm glad to hear that."

"Sir, will you need us to mop up in the city? It looks like the coast took a real pounding."

Ramos shook his head, "No need. The Marines have been deployed to secure the city and drive off any stragglers. We've still got some eyes on the retreating enemy fleet but it's best we regroup and do damage control here."

"Understood Captain. We took a beating out there too but we'll stay in touch."

"Very well. See to it then," Ramos sighed as he handed off the headset. He turned to one of his subordinate bridge officers, "Ensign, pass the word along to the helm that we're headed back to Pearl Harbor. I've got a new report to prepare for the Admiral."

* * *

Before returning home, the Ocean Rangers stopped to check in with their tiki mentor. In the ruins of Ocean Point Temple, the six straggled in looking spent and worn from battle. Once they were settled, the kahuna listened patiently while they related the events of their most recent battle to him. Right now, it looked like the city of Honolulu was busy trying to recover from the large scale assault that was launched against it. There were plenty of fires left to put out as well as injured civilians to treat.

After they finished their report, Kanohi gave a thoughtful vocalization as his eyes flickered. "I am relieved to hear that you were able to repel the initial landing forces. It seems that the enemy force was even larger than the one that attacked the island long ago. You've won an important battle today, but even with her two generals destroyed, Hine Nui will still have plenty of soldiers left to call upon."

"That's why we mean to try and finish her off once and for all," Desmond interjected, "Have you been able to pinpoint her location Kanohi?"

The elder tiki's eyes flickered again, "I believe I have. If you bring me a map, I will mark the location for you. It seems Hine Nui is casting her spell from a small island several miles southeast of Oahu. It appears to be cloaked in her dark magic making it difficult to discern anything more."

"All right! Now we can go on the offensive for once," Hannah smiled.

"Easy does it kid," Cam said putting a calming hand on her shoulder, "First we need to regroup and come up with a plan of attack."

Naomi nodded and headed toward the sacred spring, "Sounds good to me. For now, everyone is welcome to come have dinner and crash at my place tonight."

Not surprisingly, there was no objection from any of the others as they followed her to the spring waters and teleported back to their other safe haven.

Later that evening, the exhausted Ocean Rangers regrouped back at the beach house to rest and recover from the ordeal. Mr. Sato left the television on while he cooked some stew for everyone in the kitchen. By now, some gray rain clouds from the edge of the super hurricane drifted over the skies to drizzle parts of the city with a light shower. While the Rangers sat on the couches and chairs of the living room, they watched the evening news and saw that the storm had remained stationary and only picked up intensity along the edges of the hurricane's eye wall.

"You know... as glad as I am that we saved Honolulu and killed two generals, I still have a bad feeling about this," David remarked while he wiped his glasses.

"No doubt this is only going to spur Hine Nui to more desperate actions," Cam said with a dark frown across his face, "If we're going to move against her in a counterattack, it's gotta be soon."

Alex nodded but leaned her head tiredly against David's shoulder on the couch, "Agreed, but we've got to rest right now. We burned through a lot of power today and the Megazord was damaged pretty badly too."

As Mr. Sato returned to the room to hand out some dinner to everyone, Desmond rose from his chair and looked out over the dark waves from the window. The gloom of evening was setting in, but the colossal tower of hurricane clouds still continued to swirl in the distance.

"You hurt my island badly today you cowardly sea witch," Desmond said in a quiet but threatening voice, "Come tomorrow, I promise you that we're going to sail right to your hiding place and return the favor."


	66. Kapu: Forbidden

**Episode 33: Part 2  
**

A powerful gust of wind blew across the Phantom Isle in a keening wail as the sea witch Hine Nui stood on the shores with her arms extended. Her long black hair danced in the strong wind as the terrible spell she had cast began to move towards its final climax. Her servants Kuta and Mujina had failed her but it did not matter. If she could not seize the island of Oahu, she would destroy it and build a new terrible ocean empire from its ashes. By now, her super hurricane had grown in intensity and she willed the calmer eye of the storm to shrink. As it did, the noose would tighten and the swirling ring of destruction would eventually close in on Honolulu.

A loud peal of thunder rumbled in the skies and a bolt of lightning pierced the heavens above. The demi-goddess of death and darkness wore a maniacal grin on her face as she waited for the stormy walls of the hurricane to close in. She had waited for so long to destroy her enemies and as powerful as Kanohi and his Ocean Rangers were, not even they would be able to stand up to such a sheer force of natural destruction.

* * *

The next day was a gloomy one as the Ocean Rangers gathered at the small boat slip where Luna was docked near the beach house. It was late morning and the Rangers had split up to take care of some last minute details. Desmond and Naomi had gone to Ocean Point Temple to speak with Kanohi while Cam and Hannah had gone to Pearl Harbor to meet with Admiral Taylor. They had all begun to form a plan the prior evening, but now it was important to coordinate that plan among their allies.

While the others were away, David and Alex stood on the deck of Desmond's ship. They volunteered to keep watch over the boat and finish securing all the goods within it. While they waited, they both watched the churning waters and the threatening storm clouds over the dark horizon. From where she stood, Alex gave a despondent sigh, "I hate this Dave. I hate the darkness. I hate feeling trapped and powerless. I miss the sunlight."

David sighed and gave a gentle smile as he walked across the deck and put his arms around Alex from behind. Despite the big difference in their heights the Pink Ranger curled up slightly to take comfort from the gesture.

"It's okay to be scared Alex," David said bending down to give her a little kiss on the cheek, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't either. I mean… Hine Nui is a goddess of Death and Darkness for crying out loud."

Alex turned around and sucked in her breath to try and maintain face, "I'm not afraid and I'm not scared of dying either. I'm more afraid of it happening to any of the others… or you."

David gave a reassuring laugh and hugged her, "Me? The guy who's got the patron god of Life and Vegetation on his side? Highly unlikely."

As the two shared a smile and let go of each other, they turned to see Cam and Hannah walk up the nearby gangplank to board Luna. The Blue Ranger carried a large briefcase with him and gave a nod as they met the others. "Okay, we're set on our end. After we gave Admiral Taylor the coordinates of Hine Nui's lair, they sent a small drone to scout the place out."

"What did they find?" Alex asked curiously.

Hannah shrugged, "The drone never made it. Seems like there's some powerful cloud of evil mojo covering her island. Our guess is that the magic totally fries out any electronics or technology that comes near it."

"Which also means that the military would have a hard time landing with us," David added grimly as he adjusted his glasses.

Cam grimaced, "So the plan has changed a little. We'll have a small military escort taking us close to the island and cutting us loose. Luna runs on wind power so we'll be able to make it the rest of the way and hopefully infiltrate the island undetected."

Alex nodded, "Okay. Sounds like a plan, but what's in the briefcase?"

Hannah laughed, "An insurance policy. Since the Admiral wasn't willing to loan out a team of Navy SEALs to help, they gave us a shotgun just in case things get a little hairy on the island."

Turning to Cam she said hopefully, "Once we get there, do you think I can carry it?"

He gave a small reproving frown, "No. This is military property and I don't think your Dad would be too thrilled if he found out you were toting this around either."

As Hannah sighed and stuck her tongue out at him, everyone turned to see Desmond and Naomi make their way up the gangplank too. As the Red Ranger made his way up, the others watched him carry a medium sized wooden tiki in his arms… a tiki looking exactly like their mentor Kanohi.

"Is that who I think it is?" David exclaimed in surprise.

"It is me David," came the voice of Kanohi as the tiki's eyes flickered.

Alex couldn't help but smile and admire the tiki as Desmond set it down near the helm of the boat, "Kanohi… I uh, didn't know you came in a travel sized version."

Naomi laughed, "He's an all powerful kahuna remember? Shrinking himself down a couple sizes was no biggie."

Desmond gave the tiki a pat on the head, "When we ran the plan by Kanohi, he said he wanted to come along. He had missed the last showdown with Hine Nui and he didn't want to miss this one."

The kahuna's eye flickered again, "You're right Desmond. In my current state, it's often been difficult for me to give you more help in your struggles. On that cursed island, there's sure to be dangerous forces at work so the least I can do is try to shield you from them."

"We appreciate the sentiment Kanohi. Thank you," Hannah smiled as she bent down to put her arms around the tiki in a little hug.

Just then, two more sets of footsteps were heard heading up the gangplank at the edge of the boat. Everyone turned to see Mr. Sato and Leilani. The older businessman gave a weak smile, "Permission to come on board for a minute?"

"We just wanted to see you off before you left," Leilani added, "We were just… worried."

Naomi smiled and hurried over to throw her arms around her family members, "Dad… Lili… I… I'm sorry I have to go and do this. But I'll be back soon. I promise."

"I know. Do whatever you have to do," Mr. Sato said as he kissed his daughter's forehead. "I trust your judgment."

"I'll keep Uncle Koichi out of trouble. We'll have big party ready for you when you come back, ok?" Leilani said trying to keep a positive face.

The Yellow Ranger smiled and touched her younger cousin's cheek, "Yeah… sounds good Lili."

Mr. Sato glanced over toward Cam and said in a steady voice, "Lieutenant, I want you to look after Naomi for me. Please do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

The Blue Ranger gave a solemn nod, "I won't let you down, sir."

As Mr. Sato and Leilani stepped off the boat and gave a wave, Desmond undid the mooring ropes and headed for the helm, "Okay… the gang's all here and the weather's holding. Let's join up with the rest of the fleet and pay a little visit to the sea witch."

* * *

The horizons grew ever darker as the sailboat Luna made her way toward the Phantom Island. Cutting the waves ahead of the boat was the small task force of Navy ships lead by Captain Ramos. Flanking his cruiser were two smaller patrol boats and a single motorboat which towed Luna through the storm.

Flying escort above the small group of ships were the four fighter jets of Razor Squadron led by Hannah's father. While it was nice to be given an official military escort, it didn't quite do enough to reassure the Ocean Rangers that they would be able to make a successful landing on the Phantom Island. As they made their way through the choppy ocean waves, Desmond gripped the wheel of his boat in tense anticipation. Although the sails were down and Luna was being towed by the motorboat ahead, he still wanted to keep the rudder straight and maintain a feeling of control over the situation.

At the sides of the forward deck, Naomi, and David waited while gripping tightly to their handholds. Once the signal was to be given, they would immediately raise the sails and help Luna coast into the enemy island on her own power. Near the hatch leading below deck, Alex sat with the smaller tiki containing Kanohi's essence. While they waited nervously, they wondered if they would come across any more resistance on their approach. The Benthic fleet had taken a bad beating in the prior battle, but they were still far from destroyed.

Meanwhile, Cam stood at the prow of Luna while keeping a vigilant watch over their approach to the enemy island. He wore a grim expression and held the forward hand rail tightly. Despite the spray of choppy water and the intermittent rumbling of thunder overhead, his heart was bouyed by the sight of the red white and blue ensign flying from the U.S.S. Poseidon. The stars and stripes were fluttering defiantly in the wind and making a statement that the people aboard that ship were not going to be intimidated by the sea witch.

Still, he took a breath and looked up into the dark skies, "Grandpa Patrick… if you're up there, I could sure use your help right now."

A soft hand was placed over his and gave a gentle squeeze. He turned to see Hannah standing next to him and giving a nod, "Kanohi says we're almost there. We should get ready soon."

Cam nodded and followed Hannah back toward the helm of the boat where Desmond was standing ready to take over when the signal came. After several more tense minutes of slicing through the waves, a light rain began to fall from the skies as a signal crackled through the radio of Desmond's ship. It was Captain Ramos' voice, "Poseidon to Luna, we're approaching the drop zone. Standby for release…"

The captain's transmission was cut short as several Benthic ships suddenly emerged from underneath the waves as if they had been laying in wait. Although the Benthic fleet had been maimed at Honolulu, they had fallen back to lay a defensive ambush around their own home base.

"Damn! Those slippery eels got the jump on us!" Desmond shouted as he clutched the wheel tightly and ducked his head, "We'll be sitting ducks out here."

"Do not fear Desmond. I will get us through that fleet," came the powerful but steady voice of Kanohi. Alex maintained a firm grip on the small portable tiki and watched as its eyes and mouth flared with a warm protective glow. To the Rangers' amazement, the spirit of the kahuna extended a nimbus of golden light around the boat to form what looked to be some sort of shield. The tiki shone like a bright lantern in the dark ocean, warding away the foul magic of the sea witch's ilk.

As the Poseidon and its two patrol boat escorts began firing their chain guns at close quarters with the Benthic ships, Cam grabbed the radio and signaled the motorboat who was towing them in an evasive maneuver, "This is Luna, we're making a break for shore. Prepare for release!"

Captain Johnson and his fighter squadron swooped down on the Benthic ships to dive bomb them just as the motorboat jettisoned its tow cable, "Understood. Godspeed Lieutenant!"

Once the cable was cut, Desmond began to wave as David and Naomi gave the ropes a pull and raised the sails. Luna bravely slashed through another wave as her sails filled with wind and propelled her forward at great speed toward the shoreline. The Red Ranger gripped his wheel and took evasive maneuvers with his ship to swiftly dodge past the last of the Benthic picket line. The small sailboat fought its way forward and the others watched as a few Benthic ships fired their barnacle shot at the retreating form. Several shots went wide while the last deflected off of Kanohi's magic ward.

"Oh God… that was too close," Naomi gasped as she did a quick spot check for damage. In the far distance, the Rangers could still see their allies in a heated battle against Hine Nui's forces. Having achieved their goal, the F-16's pulled away from the airspace of the Phantom Isle while the Poseidon and her escorts withdrew back to Oahu. Each of the Navy ships had taken varying degrees of damage from the barnacle shot but they exacted vengeance by leaving several of the Benthic warships in smoldering ruins.

Once the Ocean Rangers finally made landfall on the sinister island, they saw that their personal electronics and shipboard instruments were dead. There was no radio, phone, or GPS. They were on their own.

Desmond steered the ship into a shallow inlet and tossed a rope around a nearby rock for mooring. The Rangers exchanged a tense look with each other as they disembarked from the boat and began to make their way up the gray colorless sands of the island. Another peal of thunder rumbled from above as the rain intensified and the wind whipped at the 6 young people.

As they made their way deeper inland, Desmond led the way with his glowing spear while Cam followed close behind with a naval shotgun at the ready. David carried the small portable tiki of Kanohi who lit their path like a lantern. His warm soothing light was a beacon of comfort and hope in such a bleak dark wasteland of an island.

After a short hike up another barren rocky bluff, the Rangers came across the cavemouth leading into Hine Nui's. Barring their way was one last platoon of her heavily armed Nightmarcher soldiers. Desmond turned to the others with a grim smile and gripped his spear, "All right everyone, I think we can take these dead heads no problem. Who's with me?"

The other Rangers save for David and Cam summoned their weapons and stepped forward to meet the undead attack. By now, each of the unmorphed Rangers moved and fought with the type of inner confidence that came from experience gained over the course of a year. Alex danced nimbly around the attacks of the zombies and broke through their guards allowing Hannah to lash out and strike with her hook weapon. While the two worked together, Desmond followed a similar tactic by using his spear to throw the soldiers off balance while Naomi darted in and out to counterattack at opportune moments.

At the rear of the Ranger line, David stood guard over Kanohi and held the glowing tiki in his arms. Cam stood beside him and protected David with his shotgun. Any zombies who were brave enough or stupid enough to make a lunge for the Green Ranger were quickly destroyed as Cam gave them a face full of lead. Here and there, Kanohi fired off bright bolts of Creation magic from his mouth to incinerate undead soldiers that tried to outflank the Rangers.

Finally, the Rangers broke through and routed the enemy infantry as Desmond fired a jet of red flames from his weapon while Hannah scattered the rest with an orb of orange morning light.

"Everyone okay?" Alex called as she shook out her arms and rejoined her friends. While the Rangers regrouped, Naomi gave a relieved grin to their tiki ally, "Thanks for the assist Kanohi. It's nice to have you fighting alongside us. It's like bringing in some extra heavy artillery."

"No complaints here either," Cam replied grimly as he pumped the shotgun and emptied his last spent shell casing, "Right now, we'll need all the help we can get."

"I fear the time to end this conflict is upon us," Kanohi intoned with a dire voice as David hefted him up. His fiery eyes glowed with deadly calm and fixed themselves upon the cavemouth, "Hine Nui is close… I can sense her."

Desmond nodded and brushed aside some of his wet hair as the rain continued and the sky rumbled with thunder and lightning. "Okay then… let's finish what we came here for."

The Ocean Rangers exchanged silent nods with each other before heading into the cave. As the six heroes delved into the foreboding gloom, they could hear the echoes of a female's voice chanting in some ancient guttural tongue. Whatever the incantation was, it was a dreadful one which seemed to claw at the Rangers' morale. They could almost feel a sort of supernatural force trying to drain away their strength, hope, and courage.

Upon reaching the main circular chamber at the bottom, the Rangers found the sea witch Hine Nui standing over her bubbling cauldron. The six spread out as they entered the wide circular cavern and approached cautiously. The sea witch ended her incantation and looked up slowly. The eldritch light from her cauldron cast an eerie reflection off her pale skin and the sheen of her long jet black hair.

Her dark eyes fixed upon the Rangers and her blackened lips curled into an amused smile. The Rangers all stood in shock and awe as they witnessed their arch enemy before them. While she was indeed the personification of Death, Darkness, and Decay, she was both hauntingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

"Welcome to my humble home Ocean Rangers. I'm impressed you were able to make it this far."

"Enough with the pleasantries sea witch," Desmond snarled as he stepped forward with his spear, "You've ruined enough lives and brought nothing but misery to our island. We'd cross the entire Pacific Ocean to destroy you."

"Oh my… such wild fury and passion," the witch scoffed, "You are the one who fancies yourself worthy to wear the mantles of the ancient chieftains? Of Ka'ena himself? I say you are just a foolish little boy… Desmond Waihee."

The Red Ranger blinked in surprise, "How… how do you know my name?"

Hine Nui laughed again and gestured to her cauldron, "I can see everything. I've watched you Rangers and I know all about each of you… Cameron, Naomi, David, Alex, and even Hannah."

The other Rangers shuddered in fear as the sea witch tilted her head and gave a lazy smile over toward the tiki, "Don't think I didn't forget about you either Kanohi. You'll forgive me if I say I hardly recognized you."

"Times have changed Hine Nui, but this ancient conflict has not," Kanohi answered sternly, "We are here to end your reign of terror over these islands. This is your last chance to surrender."

"Or what? Your little replacement warriors will banish me again?" the witch laughed in amusement, "No Kanohi. You may have bested me the first time, but now is when I have the advantage. We can have your little battle here, but Oahu is still in my grip. It won't be long before the hurricane outside completely swallows it and the other islands. Your people there will be drowned and only I will remain to repopulate the islands as I see fit."

"You're insane!" Alex yelled as she clenched her fists.

"Say what you will, but there is nothing you can do to stop it," Hine Nui cackled.

Desmond shook his head, "No! There is something. You are the focal point of this whole ritual spell. If we kill you, then we end the hurricane."

Hine Nui's dark eyes lit up in feral excitement, "You can only try to kill me, boy."

She raised her arms up in a grand gesture and the Rangers watched in fearful awe as the ceiling of the cavern began to open apart like a colossal sea shell. The ground began to shake and rise up into the open stormy air like a giant pillar to overlook the entire Phantom Isle. From the cauldron, a bright column of dreadful light emanated into the skies and only caused the hurricane around them to intensify.

As Hine Nui's long dark hair danced wildly in the wind, the sea witch took on a fearsome visage as tendrils of ancient shadowy magic began to curl around her dress like black tentacles. Her eyes lit up with cruel malice and she flashed a predatory smile toward the six intimidated Rangers, "And now Ocean Rangers... this spot will mark your final watery grave."


	67. Lanakila: Victory

**Episode 34: Part 1  
**

A bolt of bright lightning split the skies as Hine Nui gave a shriek and lashed out with several black tentacles that flowed from the fabric of her dress. The six friends dove clear of the attack and regrouped to face their enemy holding up their Ocean Bracers. As David placed Kanohi safely off to the side, Desmond clenched his fist and called in a loud voice, "Okay everyone… we're doing this for all of Hawaii now. One last time!"

"Point Break!" came their response as the other bracelets flared to life and lit up the battlefield with the elemental magic of Creation. Hine Nui recoiled for a moment and shielded her eyes as six Rangers emerged from the brilliant light. In that desolate place, their vibrantly colored suits stood out against the darkness and gray colors of the Isle.

Kanohi's eyes flared brilliantly adding his light to theirs, "The warriors of old may have changed Hine Nui, but the powers of Creation still stand with them."

 _"Fierce as the Raging Volcanoes, Red Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Steady as the Surging Tides, Blue Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Free as the Howling Winds, Yellow Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Vibrant as the Verdant Earth, Green Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Bright as the Shining Sunlight, Pink Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Fearless as the Coming Dawn, Orange Ocean Ranger!"_

 _"Riding the Waves to the Victory!"_ they chorused before breaking their huddle and fanning out with weapons drawn.

The sea witch gave an unimpressed scoff and summoned a weapon of her own. It was a long rusted trident with jagged prongs. Hine Nui advanced slowly and ignited the weapon with purple eldritch energy. She swept it along the rocky ground and called up crackling waves of necrotic energy to scatter the Rangers. Both David and Alex stood their ground against the first waves and took defensive stances with their weapons. While the Green and Pink Rangers shielded the others, Hannah broke left to try and flank the enemy while the first three Ocean Rangers made a coordinated triple leap attack.

Hine Nui snorted before she threw David and Alex off their feet with one more powerful blast of energy before turning to meet the others. The first three Rangers all gasped as their assault stopped just short of success. The sea witch lashed out the tentacles from her dress to bat Naomi aside while several more tendrils snaked out to restrain Desmond from making a thrusting attack.

As the Blue Ranger darted in to help, Hine Nui caught Cam's sword blow in the prongs of her trident and used her leverage to hurl him away. She turned her glare back toward the Red Ranger who was still struggling in her tentacle grip and sent him flying backward with a fierce trident slash.

At that moment, she felt the sting of a bladed weapon on her back as Hannah charged her from behind using her weapon's whip mode. The sea witch scoffed and whirled around at the last moment to block the Orange Ranger's leaping slash with her trident. The elemental light of the Dawn momentarily seared Hine Nui, but it did no lasting damage as she swept her hand out and grabbed Hannah by the neck.

"Arrogant little girl… you don't know your Pacific mythology," Hine Nui cackled as she tightened her grip and lifted Hannah off the ground, "Maui had once tried to kill me himself, but do you know what happened to him?"

The Orange Ranger gave a choked cry of pain as the witch sent a wave of painful darkness over her and violently threw her aside, "I struck down that annoying little worm. Were it not for the other gods, his soul would have been mine."

"And it's good that they did," Desmond challenged again as he rose back to his feet, "They've come together to help us defeat you too."

The sea witch snorted, "Look around you Ranger, where are your gods now? They're nowhere to be seen. They aren't saving Oahu. They're probably too scared to even come and face me themselves."

While Cam and David hurried over to help Hannah recover to her feet, Naomi shouted angrily "Shut up you hag! You're one to talk of courage… hiding on your little island sending all your minions to fight us."

"Yet here I am… ready to destroy you with my own hands," Hine Nui shrieked as she swept her trident around and blew all the Rangers backwards with another punishing wave of necrotic magic.

The rain was now falling in sheets as Hine Nui laughed amid the thunderclaps, "Is this really it, Kanohi? These are the warriors your chose to take the place of the originals? The humans of today are so soft and their wills are so weak!"

"You underestimated my warriors once before Hine Nui. You do so now at your own peril," the kahuna answered as he helplessly watched the Ocean Rangers struggling to rise from the last blow.

"The only thing I underestimate is length of time you have left to live Kanohi," she sneered as she rose into the air and swooped forward to kill the tiki with her trident.

"Oh no you don't!" Desmond cried as he leapt to his feet and surged forward to defend the kahuna. "Tidal Surge!"

The Red Ranger called upon his stronger form and swept across the battlefield with his water jets, just making it in time. He thrust his spear out and parried aside Hine Nui's trident. He swept under her guard and delivered a counter slash to the side using his spearhead before taking a defensive stance over Kanohi. "You may be powerful Hine Nui… but we're not out of the fight yet."

The witch retreated a few steps and gave an amused sneer, "By all means, fight. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Then I think you need to get out more," Cam called over in retort as he and the other Rangers called upon their own stronger Tidal Surge forms as well.

The witch shrieked and lashed out with several dark tentacles from her dress as she swung her trident as well. The six Ocean Rangers split up and jetted about in all directions. Although they tried to attack from different angles, they were either stopped by her trident or her tentacles. Despite the resistance, each hero continued to try landing a blow. Their vigor and morale had been temporarily restored and the sea momentarily found herself on the defensive.

Both Naomi and Alex surged forward and locked up Hine Nui's weapon with theirs as they pulled sideways. That allowed David an opening to strike the witch's weapon arm with his club and weaken Hine's Nui's grip just long enough for Hannah to snare the end of the trident with Maui's hook.

Hannah gave a firm pull and disarmed the witch just as Cam made a flank attack with his sword. Hine Nui turned just in time to see him and raised several tentacles but he hacked through all of them with one charged slash of the blade. Again Hine Nui stumbled off balance and it allowed Desmond just the opportunity he needed to slip by and deliver another power slash to the sea witch. Everyone held their collective breath as Desmond's flaming spear struck high in a glancing blow to the side of Hine Nui's throat and chin.

The monstrous woman staggered back for a moment and clutched her wound. Her eyes flashed with murderous rage as she rose back up to her full height. "I'm growing tired of your insolence. It's time for you to see my full might."

The Ocean Rangers regrouped and stood frozen in horror as the sea witch underwent a metamorphosis herself. A great blob of shadows engulfed her and she grew into a colossal black octopus-like creature. Its large barbed tentacles thrashed on the battlefield and it fixed its huge eyes on its prey. A deep throaty laugh that sounded vaguely feminine carried on the stormy winds, "And now it ends Rangers!"

The six stood paralyzed in fear as the monstrous witch's dark aura once again assaulted their resolve. Desmond shook his head and gripped his spear, "Come on everyone! The people of the islands are counting on us!"

That spurred the Rangers to action just in time for them to dive clear of Hine Nui's renewed tentacle attack. Before the six could regain their senses, the monster reared back slightly and fired a blinding cloud of dark inky magic that covered the entire battlefield. The Rangers could only choke and sputter helplessly in the blinding acidic darkness before they felt that very darkness suck all the strength right out of them.

Moments later, they were all struck by a powerful sweeping blow of the witch's barbed tentacles, sending them skidding near the edge of the raised battlefield. They demorphed and lay helpless as the stormy winds dissipated the ink cloud around them. As the colossal black octopus crawled closer, Hine Nui laughed, "You fought well Rangers, but you cannot hope to overcome the Mistress of Death and Darkness."

The stunned heroes glanced in shock toward their Ocean Bracers and saw that she was right. Each of the coral stones in their bracelets had cracked and faded in color after having been damaged by the devastating inky darkness. It really did look hopeless now.

"Come Rangers... embrace Death…" Hine Nui purred before she gave a horrible shriek and raised some tentacles to shield her eyes.

A brilliant light erupted from Kanohi's tiki which defiantly warded off the giant black beast, "You will not have them Hine Nui! Their lives are not yours to take!"

"Damn you Kanohi! Damn your meddling!" the mollusk howled as the light intensified.

Desmond groggily sat up and blinked his eyes in the light, "Kanohi… I… what are you doing?"

"Giving you a chance to end this," the kahuna replied in his deep steady voice. I'm giving the last of my mana to restore your Bracers and give you the strength you'll need."

The other Rangers all watched in awe as their burnt-out Bracers were restored in a twinkling light. As their tiki mentor's light grew dim, their own bracelets glowed and buzzed with renewed power.

Cam staggered to his feet and helped Desmond rise, "Let's not let Kanohi's sacrifice go to waste. What do you think Chief?"

Desmond gave a weary smile amid the pounding rain and nodded as Naomi leaned tiredly against the Blue Ranger's arm. She offered Cam his fallen sword and gave a small smile too, "You're not going to let Desmond save the day without this… or me, are you?"

The Blue Ranger gave a grim smile as he took back his sword and the others rose to join them. Desmond stepped forward and raised his Ocean Bracer.

"Okay everyone… this is our last shot so we have to make it count. Everyone together!"

"We're with you Desmond," David answered with an unusually brave and decisive tone in his voice.

The six Rangers let loose the buzzing powers of their Bracers and pooled it together around Desmond allowing him to immediately morph into his Red Chieftain Armor.

At the other side of the battlefield, Hine Nui snarled in rage and began to scuttle forward, "That is meaningless! You will die a futile death here just like Kanohi will!"

Desmond took several deep breaths and steeled himself against the horrifying abomination closing in on him. He had to find a good place to land a final decisive strike. "This isn't going to be easy getting a clear shot."

The rest of the unmorphed Rangers readied their weapons as Alex flexed her fists, "Leave that to us. We'll clear your way."

Cam handed his blade off to her and summoned the shield of Kanaloa, taking point while Alex and David formed up beside him. They advanced first and momentarily halted the octopus. David and Alex swung their weapons, hacking at the big thick tentacles while Hannah lashed her whip out and tied another one of Hine Nui's arms down.

At the rear rank, Naomi summoned her yellow feather cloak and tied it around Desmond's neck before pointing to her head as a signal. The Red Ranger nodded and took off running in a full charge toward the monstrous witch. Just as he leapt into the air for a flying attack, one of Hine Nui's other tentacles wriggled free and began to stretch out to stop him. In a heartbeat, Cam spotted the danger and used his free right hand to pull his concealed service pistol free. He emptied the entire clip of ammo into the tentacle, causing it to draw back in pain while allowing Desmond his clear line of attack.

As the airborne Red Ranger sailed high, he turned his spear downward and focused all the force and power he could into that final thrust. The beast's eyes went wide with shock and fear as the Red Chieftain dropped down on the octopus and drove the blazing spear clean into the monster's skull. A volcanic cloud of fire erupted as the Rangers dove free and Desmond stood stop the monster's head, driving his weapon home.

"No… you can't do this to me," Hine Nui choked as her monstrous form convulsed and slumped down on the stony ground. As her tentacles feebly twitched on the ground, Desmond continued pouring the fiery energy of Creation into his enemy's bulbous head, "You're right about that... I'm not _Ka'ena_. I will be the one to destroy you for good... so that you'll never harm our islands again."

"Damn you Desmond Waihee… and all you Ocean Rangers," Hine Nui gasped as she felt herself being incinerated from within. "I am the embodiment of Death. I will come back for you."

The Red Chieftain held firm and growled, "You like to talk of everyone else's death sea witch… let's see how well you handle your own."

The giant black octopus gave one last horrible shriek as the Chieftain's power gave out and destroyed the demi-goddess. A terrific shockwave of force and black magic smoke erupted in all directions before it dissipated in the winds of the hurricane around them.

When the smoke cleared, Desmond demorphed and joined his companions as they collapsed and slumped down in exhaustion. The dark winds and rain continued to swirl around them but a calm vortex of wind began to form around the immediate battlefield, exposing the first bright rays of light and blue skies above.

The six exhausted Rangers turned and dragged themselves over towards the faintly glowing form of their tiki mentor. The old kahuna gave a weak laugh and said, "It is done then? Hine Nui is no more?"

Desmond sighed and put each of his arms over Cam and Naomi, "It's over Kanohi. We did it… all thanks to you."

Before the heroes could celebrate, they felt a great rumbling from underneath as the storms around their protective vortex intensified. To their shock, they also felt a literal sinking feeling as the Phantom Island began to collapse in on itself and sink below the Pacific Ocean's waves.

"What the hell is going on here?" Hannah cried in fear, "I thought we ended the hurricane spell."

"You did," Kanohi explained, "But now that Hine Nui is dead, the spell is collapsing back toward its original focal point… this island."

"Oh God… after all that? We're still going to die?" David gasped as he eyed the rising waters pounding against their barrier.

"I will not let you perish," Kanohi answered as his glow grew fainter, "Just have faith in me that help will come."

Alex bent down and gave a sorrowful look to the fading kahuna, "But Kanohi… you're dying too. Let us try to to save you."

"No," Kanohi answered, "Hine Nui and I are vestiges of the past… the remnants of an ancient conflict that is now over."

He turned his glowing eyes toward his first three Rangers, "But you… all of you represent something more. You are the hope that our islands will be preserved and that a bright peaceful future can be found once again."

Cam put a comforting arm over a teary eyed Naomi as Desmond placed his hand on the tiki with a nod, "Thank you Kanohi… for everything."

"Farewell Rangers," were his last words as the ancient lights of the tiki were extinguished.

A long solemn silence fell over the Rangers as they bowed their heads and listened to the sounds of the storm and churning sea waters around them. When they looked up, they saw their barrier breaking down as torrents of water began cascading down all around them to wash away the last of the Phantom Isle.

"What do we do now?" Naomi said in a small voice as she clung to Cam with quiet desperation.

He looked upwards to the wall of water crashing down on them and held her close, "We trust in Kanohi… one last time."

In an instant, the Rangers were buried in a torrent of ocean water and everything devolved into dark swirling chaos. The impact of the water stunned them all and swept the six friends in all directions so that they didn't know which way was up or down in the darkness.

As he spun limply in the churning waters, Desmond could see the form of Kanohi disappear under him. He weakly turned his head upward and it was then that he felt a pair of gentle arms take hold of him. It was hard to tell in the water, but he felt himself being pulled upward. In his fading vision, he could almost make out the benevolent smile of the goddess Pele floating over him. Her dark hair with reddish streaks splayed out in the waters as she gripped his wrists and pulled him toward her.

Desmond exhaled the last of his oxygen and thought he could also see the familiar faces of the other gods descending from above to help… Kanaloa, Paka'a, Lono, Laka, and Maui. Another cloud of bubbles obscured his vision and the exhausted Red Ranger slumped over to finally surrender to the darkness.

* * *

When he awoke, Desmond Waihee felt himself bobbing in the ocean water. He slowly cracked his eyes open and found himself slumped over a solid trunk of wood. Rigging and sails floated about the nearby waters as Desmond realized this was the main mast of his ship, Luna which had broken off. Beside him, his five fellow Rangers also clung to the mast and came to the same realization as they slowly woke up.

To Desmond's relief, the rest of his battered ship floated nearby and it still looked to be intact. It was still connected to the broken mast by its rigging so at least he didn't completely lose his ship in the battle.

"Where are we?" Hannah mumbled tiredly as she looked around, "How did we get here?"

David spat out some sea water from his mouth and leaned over the mast tiredly, "Let's just be glad we're still alive."

Floating beside him, Alex looked up and smiled as she felt the warmth of the sun on her face again. It looked like the hurricane had died down giving way to calm waters, blue skies, and sunlight. As she glanced at the battered form of Luna, the Pink Ranger grimaced, "What are we going to do now? Luna's sails are all broken and we can't call the Coast Guard."

"We won't have to," Cam said with a warm smile as he began to wave his arm, "I think Captain Ramos would be happy to give us a lift back home."

Everyone turned to see the large form of the Navy cruiser Poseidon steaming towards them followed by two small patrol boats. Despite everything the Rangers had just been through over the past few days, they broke out into cheers, smiles, and laughter. They had weathered a frightful invasion and battled horrific monsters. They had suffered bruises, injuries, exhaustion, and even the loss of their mentor Kanohi. But right now... it didn't matter anymore.

The battle was over. All of Hawaii was safe again. They were finally going back home.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **The final battle might be over, but there's still a final chapter and an epilogue on the way very soon. After all, we've got to send our heroes off in style, right? Hope to see you all then.**

 **I was also shocked to discover that this fic now has its very own page on TV Tropes. Whoever started the work on that, I just want to say "Thank you! You're awesome!"**


	68. Loa Aloha: The Long Goodbye

**Episode 34: Part 2  
**

It had been two weeks since the final battle with the sea witch Hine Nui and things had begun to return to normal around Honolulu. The dark stormy clouds had given way to the bright sunny skies that Hawaii prided itself on. The city of Honolulu had also begun rebuilding from the invasion and people worked to salvage their damaged homes and businesses. One such business owner was the owner of the Silver Marlin restaurant, Bailey Hampshire.

Despite having taken some damage from the Benthic attack, the restaurant was up and running again. More accurately, it had been rented out for the evening by Mr. Sato. True to their word, he and Leilani organized a large luau party to celebrate the defeat of Hine Nui and the safe return of the Rangers. To Bailey's relief, none of the other party guests seemed to mind the damaged spots of the restaurant as everyone there was celebrating the fact they had survived the attack.

While Alex chatted with some of her younger hula students who had come, Hannah walked about the room introducing her parents to some of her other classmates and friends from college. Off in a corner of the dining room, David stood by himself looking sadly at one of the tiki decorations on the wall. He was happy to be at the party and celebrating the Rangers' spectacular victory, but there was also a part of him that couldn't help but feel some sadness over the loss of their mentor Kanohi.

He was surprised when he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he turned to face Desmond. The Red Ranger held two bottles of cold beer in his hand and offered one to his friend, "Hey Doc, you thinking about Kanohi too?"

David gave a grateful smile as he took the bottle and nodded, "Yeah… I was just thinking that it was too bad he couldn't be here to celebrate with us tonight."

Desmond stood by the Green Ranger and looked thoughtfully toward the tiki, "I know what you mean. When you think about it, he really did save us back there on the island and he gave us a second chance at life. That's why I don't intend on wasting that opportunity... especially not tonight."

David smiled warmly and clinked his bottle with Desmond before the two took a swig of beer, "Here's to Kanohi then. Cheers… Kampai… and everything in between."

Desmond laughed and clapped David on the back, "On that note, let's not waste our opportunity at having a good time tonight. Bailey cooked up some great barbecue so I figure we could start there. What do you say?"

At the other end of the restaurant, a makeshift dance floor had been set up along with some speakers for music. Colorful lights had been strung up overhead and a Hawaiian song with a relaxed tempo played on the stereo. Several pairs of partygoers were already joining in on the slow dance while Cam and Naomi remained on the floor, swaying gently and holding each other close. As they danced, Cam gently nuzzled his cheek to the side of her head, "Hey… is everything okay? You've been kinda quiet tonight."

She shifted slightly in his arms and kept her cheek resting on his shoulder, "Sorry, I was just thinking… and worrying…"

"About what?"

She looked up slowly, "About what happens now… now that Hine Nui is dead, we don't have to be Rangers anymore. I couldn't help but worry that we'll all drift apart and go our separate ways again."

"After something like this?" Cam said reassuringly, "I seriously doubt that. We've all been through so much and the world will always need Power Rangers… right?"

Naomi sighed and glanced away. She didn't look convinced, "I guess I just grew used to having you and Desmond around the house all the time. It made me happy and I don't want it to change. Most of all, I worry about you… us."

He frowned in confusion, "I don't understand."

"Now that your mission here is over, what's to stop the Navy from taking you away from us… and from me? You'll probably get your new orders and ship out to whatever warzone they want you in next."

The Blue Ranger paused and remained silent. He really didn't have a good answer to that. Before he could fumble about for a reassurance, he froze as a familiar figure made his way through the crowd to the edge of the dance floor. "Admiral Taylor…"

The old gray Admiral gave an apologetic smile and waved gently, "At ease Lieutenant. No need for formalities tonight. I apologize for the interruption Miss Sato. Can I just speak to Mr. Monroe for a few minutes?"

The Yellow Ranger gave a reluctant nod and let go as Cam kissed her cheek, "I promise you... I'm not going to go anywhere."

The Admiral gestured toward the empty patio outside where they could speak in a quieter place. Cam followed him out and the two men stood looking out over the calm moonlit waves of the Pacific Ocean.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your party, son. Lord knows you've earned it after everything that's happened," the Admiral began.

"Sir?"

Taylor turned and looked at Cam with a serene but commanding gaze, "I came tonight because I wanted to talk to you about your future in the Navy. You've done your country a great service and I wanted to start by recognizing that."

From his coat, the Admiral produced a small case and handed it to Cam. Inside were several service ribbons along with a couple lesser medals. Next to a purple heart award was an empty spot where the Admiral pointed, "That one will be for a Medal of Honor. Based upon your reports and actions in the defense of Honolulu, I personally recommended you for one."

Cam's jaw almost hit the floor as he gawked at the possibility of even receiving such a prestigious award, "Admiral… thank you. I don't know what to say."

Taylor glanced out over the waters, "You don't have to say anything Lieutenant. You're going to be a hero. Keep this up and I'm sure you'd be promoted to Lt. Commander before you even reach thirty."

Cam tucked the awards away and took a deep breath, "I'm guessing there's something more, sir?"

Taylor glanced over with a curious expression, "At this point, I'm sure you can have any posting you'd like. I wouldn't be surprised if the intelligence branch offices in D.C. were interested. Whatever you had in mind for your future, I want to help you there."

Cam fell silent and stared out over the moonlit waters. Finally, he turned to the older man, "Thank you Admiral. I appreciate your confidence in me, but I'm not very interested in pushing papers or taking orders from the blowhards in DC. I belong near the water and my place is with the Fleet."

Taylor chuckled, "I can respect that. Have you considered the Special Forces then? Maybe the SEALs?"

"Actually sir, I was thinking of a compromise. We never know when another evil power might rise up in the Pacific, so I'd like to retain my post here in Hawaii so that I can help stand guard as a Power Ranger."

Taylor mulled it over and smiled, "If that's what you really want, I think that can be arranged. I'm guessing there's something more?"

Cam chuckled at the Admiral echoing his own words, "Actually sir… I'd also like to request an extended leave so that I can go home to visit my parents. This conflict has gone on for over a year and I've been away for too long."

"Permission granted," Admiral Taylor said with a kind nod, "Now... since we've got all the formalities taken care of, why don't you come back inside and let me start by buying you a drink?"

From that moment on, it was a joyful memorable party for all those present at the Silver Marlin that night.

* * *

Later that week, the orange and red light from the early evening sun filtered into the busy airport terminal as all the Ocean Rangers gathered at Honolulu International Airport to say goodbye before Cam boarded his flight back to the mainland. The Blue Ranger set his travel bag down and gave a reluctant sigh as he turned to face his friends. "Well… I guess this is it, huh?"

"For someone who's getting to go back home for a whole two months, you don't sound too thrilled," Hannah teased gently as she tried to keep a cheerful smile.

He gave a sheepish grin and glanced away, "Well… you know, I'm still gonna miss this place. I guess I've just kinda grown attached to the island… and to all of you."

Bailey Hampsire raised her eyebrow and glanced over to her boyfriend beside her, "Desmond… are you crying?"

The Red Ranger cleared his throat and quickly rubbed his eye, "Ah… no. I'm good."

Bailey patted his arm with a slight laugh, "Even if being a Ranger has made you a lot more mature, you can still act like such a little kid sometimes, you know that?"

"Geez Bailey, give me a break. I'm just gonna miss my friend, okay?" Desmond pouted in mild protest.

Cam laughed and extended a hand, "I'll miss you too roomie. I trust you'll take care of the island until I come back?"

"I'll do my best. _Aloha_ Cam," Desmond said as he surprised the Blue Ranger and pulled him into a man hug instead.

As he did, Cam glanced over at Bailey and chuckled, "Keep this guy out of trouble for me, will ya?"

Bailey couldn't help but grin and give a little salute, "Aye aye Lieutenant."

After Desmond let go, David stepped up next and the two men exchanged a salute and a firm handshake.

"Enjoy your time back home with your family," the Green Ranger said with a serene smile, "Doctor's orders."

Cam laughed and clapped David's shoulder, "I will Doc. When I get back to Hawaii, we'll catch up over another drink at the Marlin. Sound good?"

"I look forward to it."

Once David stepped aside, Alex marched up and surprised Cam by handing him her wooden cooking spoon. He took it with a slightly confused frown as she spoke seriously, "You'd better return that to me Cameron… or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'm going to have to track you down myself and beat you over the head with it," she replied as she gave him a big hug. "Have a safe trip, ok?"

Cam couldn't help but laugh as he put his arms over the little Pink Ranger and returned her hug, "Thanks Alex. It's a promise."

No sooner had she let go, Hannah took her turn to bury her face in Cam's chest and give him a crushing hug of her own. He stood there for a long moment waiting for her to release him before rolling his eyes in amusement, "You can let go now Hannah. It's not like I'm dying or anything."

"I know," she said in mild embarrassment as she let go, "It's just that... well... two months is a long time, you know? So you have to promise to email every weekend, and that we go snorkeling first thing when you get back, ok?"

Cam smiled and leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead, "Okay. I'll miss you too Hannah."

Finally he turned to Naomi before heading off to the departure gate. He tried to give a reassuring smile before shrugging, "I guess I couldn't quite keep my promise about not going... but I'll be back."

The Yellow Ranger gave a sigh that was mixed with amusement and sadness before marching up and throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I wish you didn't have to go just yet. I hate the idea of having to say goodbye to you."

"Then let's do it properly," he said as they parted, " _Aloha_... Love, Peace, and Compassion."

That brought a small smile to her face as he chuckled, "Not bad for some dumb _haole_ from the mainland, right?"

She smiled again and shook her head, "No... you are o _hana_ now... family."

The other Rangers nodded in agreement before Naomi cleared her throat and stepped closer, "Before you leave, there's one more Hawaiian phrase that I have to tell you because it's something you should know... _Aloha Au Ia 'Oe_... I love you Cameron."

He put his nose to hers and took in a deep breath, remembering the traditional _honi,_ or sharing of one's breath before he leaned in and gave her a tender kiss goodbye. " _Aloha Au Ia 'Oe_ Naomi."

She wore a radiant smile as he let go of her and stepped back to retrieve his bag. As he headed for the departure gates, the Blue Ranger turned around one more time to see his friends... no, his family all waving in the fading light of the evening sun. He gave a soft smile and saluted them before turning back to pass through the departure gates. Even in the evening light, he could feel the gentle warmth of the sun on his face and the hint of fragrant hibiscus flowers on his nose... the same sensations he experienced upon arriving here.

As he continued walking toward the gate where his plane waited, Cameron Monroe knew that the sun, the flowers, and the people he loved would be waiting here for him when he returned. Until then, he decided that he wouldn't let that golden moment fade away. For now, he would follow the light and warmth of Hawaii for as long as he possibly could, over the waters and across the skies... he would continue chasing the sun.

* * *

 _ **The End**_


	69. Pono Kaulike: Justice for All

**July 29, 2016**

 **HQ: Naval Station: Pearl Harbor – Hawaii (Oahu)**  
 **13:30 Pacific Standard Time**  
 **DOC-ID#: 463.221.09A**  
 **Security Designation: [Classified]**

 **Subject: Power Rangers Final Assessment**

Dear Admiral Taylor:

I have successfully fulfilled my mandate to compile records and assess the threat posed to the Pacific Fleet and the greater state of Hawaii. It has been one year since the threat of the sea witch Hine Nui has been neutralized and a lasting calm has returned to the island of Oahu. While it is quite possible that there are some elements of her forces that remain, it is my estimation that they have been so diminished that they pose no further danger to Hawaii.

I have decided to prepare this final memorandum as I will briefly update you on the most recent activities of my fellow Ocean Rangers. At this point, I have full trust in your willingness to keep this information strictly confidential and to only refer to it should another threat to Honolulu materialize in the future.

I understand that Desmond Waihee has since repaired his boat and started a successful joint business venture with his girlfriend Bailey. He still goes fishing and provides fresh seafood for her restaurant, but when the two have extra time I've learned that they charter unique dining experiences for tourists on Desmond's ship Luna. According to Desmond, he takes tourists out for a day of fishing and afterward, Bailey will take their catch and cook up a gourmet seafood dinner right there on the boat. They say that business has been good and that they're happy being able to spend extra time together. If trouble in the islands ever surfaced again, I know that Desmond would leap back into his duty as an Ocean Ranger. But for now, I think he's perfectly happy to go back to a quiet simple life of peace.

Hannah Johnson is continuing her studies as a sophomore student at the University of Hawaii and she's doing very well. She's always been a good student, but she tells me that having extra time to study and catch up on sleep has done wonders for her GPA. She still works part-time on the weekends leading dive tours and has just recently decided to officially major in Marine Biology. I think it's a good fit for her and her parents couldn't be more proud. She still comes by the base fairly often to visit her parents and she always spares some time to drop by and say hello to me while I'm at work too. I sometimes pretend to be a little annoyed but in truth, I'm always glad to see her.

David Hosokawa still works at his hospital in downtown Honolulu. Like Desmond, I think he's content to go back to a peaceful routine way of life. Interestingly enough, he's recently told me that he's considering branching out and going into private practice. He likes the idea of starting his own little neighborhood clinic so that he can have more direct personal contact with his patients. Until he can scrape together enough startup capital, it's still just a thought. When he's not too busy saving lives, he still enjoys going on his nature hikes to research the medicinal properties of plants. He tells me that every once in a while, Alex will even come with him on his field trips. I suspect it's so that she can spend some extra alone time with him and whether or not they actually get any researching done on those days is anyone's guess.

Alexandra Coach finished up her studies at the University of Hawaii and now works as a marine biologist for a local environmental research company. The small business is heavily involved in monitoring the health of the local waters as well as the sea creatures living within it. When she's not busy taking readings of the ocean, she still makes time to surf as well as teach introductory hula to the young girls of the island. She is also still in a happy relationship with David and I have a feeling that they may be considering moving in together. As much as I'd love to tease Alex and give her a hard time about it, I'm more afraid of incurring the wrath of her terrible spoon on my head.

Naomi Sato continues her work as a lifeguard on Waikiki Beach and she still enjoys patrolling the shore to keep others safe. I do know that she's also taken some extra efforts to spend more time with her father. I think the final confrontation with Hine Nui had put a lot of things into perspective for her. We had all literally stared Death in the face and I think Naomi wanted to repair the years of strained relations with him. One of the ways she's done that is to take up a certification course to sell real estate on the side. I guess it's a bit of a compromise with her father, and it will still allow them to work together on the occasional project. I'm sure she'd do well with sales... but then again, I'm a little biased.

As for me, you know that I've been content to resume my duties as an intelligence officer here at Pearl Harbor. Although I am still waiting for an official response on the Medal of Honor recommendation you had filed for me, I've been more than content with the awards I've already received. While medals and service ribbons are well and good, the greatest reward for me has been to stay here in Hawaii with my fellow Ocean Rangers. After my experiences of the prior year, I can't imagine being separated from them. They are my friends and extended family here.

While we may not be actively fighting monsters anymore, I'm glad to live in peace, and to be able to come back home to Naomi every night. She and I are still living together at the beach house and are happy spending time with each other when our busy schedules allow it. I've already been teased a little by my fellow Rangers about making the arrangement with her more "permanent." I think Naomi has begun hinting at it as well. While I don't plan to rush over that bridge quite yet, I know that if and when we do, her father has already given his approval.

I hope you found this final report satisfactory as I will officially close the file on the Ocean Rangers. Should any element of the Benthic Armies ever return to cause harm, you can rest assured that we will always be ready to take up arms again and stand in defense of the Hawaiian Islands. It has been my privilege to serve and I look forward to continuing that duty in the days to come. That being said, it's time that I ended this report. The sun is shining outside, the surf is up, and my five friends are calling for me to join them on the sandy beaches. When Rangers gather, it's a call that I have no choice but to answer.

Respectfully Yours,

~Lt. Cameron J. Monroe


	70. Mahalo: Thank You

To the Readers:

As I've said countless times before, thank you so much for reading this series everyone. I hope you liked the story and grew to love the main characters as much as I did. Special thanks go to the people whose OC's were casted for this story: _**Condor-K**_ (Desmond), _**FantaticRhapsody**_ (David), _**Mistycharming** _ (Alex), and _**ImaSupernaturalCSI**_ (Hannah). You guys were all awesome and I loved working with you to bring your Rangers to life. Of course, I can't forget any others who simply read, left a review, contributed a minor character, or made great suggestions along the way too.

Oceania was my experiment at writing a series that was a little more character driven. I like to jokingly refer to it as what you get when you cross Power Rangers with Hawaii Five-O and a little bit of Baywatch thrown in on the side. Whereas the driving force of my Vanguard series was an ancient epic conflict between angels and demons, the heart of Oceania was more in the strength of the bonds and relationships that formed between the heroes. Each of them were adults who came from very different walks of life, but they grew into a close knit family as a result of their shared growth and experience along the way.

Oceania also gave me a chance to touch a little more on some challenges an "adult" hero might face, such as learning to move forward from a tragic past like Desmond and Alex, growing up and taking responsibility like Hannah, balancing obligations to family with your own personal interests like Naomi, or showing compassion and mercy to sworn enemies like David did.

In the case of Cam, I chose him as a sort of unofficial viewpoint character because there's a lot we can learn from his experience. Like him, this series thrust us into the completely new setting of Hawaii where we didn't know a thing about the language, the people, or the culture. By learning to fit in and love the islands, Cameron came to appreciate a whole new perspective and way of life, and I hope you did too. The Pacific Islands are rich with culture, mythology, and spirituality which I feel isn't always given much attention in fiction. Hopefully the series taught you a thing or two because I know I certainly learned a lot.

Looking ahead, I'll be starting a new series featuring Irish and Celtic mythology. After I take a nice long break, I'll try to start posting the first chapters to that series in late September. Again, it's going to be a very different and experimental series so if you're interested, be sure to keep an eye out for PR: Hibernian Knights coming soon. Hope to see you then!


End file.
